L3

Country
United Kingdom (UK)

Class
Battleship

MMweight
10.0

Obtain Method
Tech Tree

Arena rating

C

PVP rating

B

L3 is one of the battleship blueprint projects by the Royal Navy around the year 1920, but was cancelled due to Washington Naval Treaty. It has 3×3 457 mm guns and actually looks quite modern.

The main characteristic of this line is MAP ammunition. MAP can penetrate bow and stern armor, citadeling the enemy from the front or the back. However, MAP struggles to penetrate the belt armor of a broadsiding enemy. Read more about MAP and other ammunitions here. Another characteristic of this line is vertical style dispersion. The shells tend to hit along the vertical axis of the enemy ship. Which means if they’re broadsiding, only a few shells will hit the body (and some will hit the superstructure). But if the enemy is bowtanking, most of the shells will hit. MAP and vertical style dispersion makes this ship a great counter to enemies that are bowtanking.

Unlike its lower tier predecessors, L3 has big caliber guns and decent accuracy. This makes L3 more effective at punishing broadsiding enemies compared to other British battleships. The big caliber also makes MAP sufficient to penetrate the belt armor of some battleships (typically with thickness 330 mm or less). So if the enemy is broadsiding and you already have MAP loaded, you don’t need to switch to AP. Just shoot as usual. If you think the enemy’s belt armor is too thick for it, just aim at the bow or stern.

When the enemy is bowtanking, load MAP. When the enemy is broadsiding, load AP. When the enemy is angling, both MAP and AP are effective. Playing British battleships is more of a psychological battle. The enemy must predict what ammunition you’re going to use. Wrong prediction will give you massive advantage. The enemy can’t just angle against your ship because as long as your aim is good, you can penetrate him.

The weaknesses of L3’s guns are slow shell velocity and at long range the dispersion becomes wonky. This makes L3 bad at sniping and new players need some time to adapt. In most cases, the MAP ammunition of L3 gets outshined by Super Yamato’s AP. Super Yamato’s AP can overmatch battleships too, but it has superior dispersion and shell velocity which makes it more dangerous. The only time L3 can be more useful is when fighting bowtanking Montana and Pr66. L3 is the only ship that can penetrate Montana and Pr66 from the bow with its MAP.

L3 has weak armor. L3 is extremely vulnerable to HE. It takes a lot of HE penetration damage and gets set on fire easily. The citadel is well protected, but L3 takes a lot of AP penetration damage even when angled. L3 has bad turret firing angle so it has to show a lot of broadside to fire all guns. To play L3 you need a lot of experience and skill.

L3 has amazing acceleration. The acceleration level is 50% better than most battleships, on par with cruisers. L3 has decent maneuverability, although the slow speed often impedes its maneuvers. L3 has decent concealment, which can be an advantage over its competitors because it can sneak up and position itself properly before firing a full salvo to the enemy’s broadside.

Playstyle

L3 is not good at sniping due to its dispersion pattern and slow shell velocity. At the start of the battle, sail to a flank. Due to a decent surface detectability, L3 can sail more forward than other battleships. Use MAP as your default ammunition. Only change to AP if the enemy is broadsiding.

If your team’s firepower is superior in your flank, you push with your teammates. Point your bow towards the enemy when pushing. Use an island to cover your weak side armor. If possible, ask your teammate to tank for you because L3 is not a good tank. Don’t play too aggressively because you don’t have the armor to sustain an intense battle. Regularly switch the tanking role between you and your teammates so everyone has time to repair.

If the enemy team’s firepower is superior, don’t push. Turn back and kite at medium range. Don’t immediately run away because your team needs you to protect the flank. Run away only when your HP is low.

If you’re an experienced player and has artillery warning skill, you can sail in open water and fire all guns. This is risky because you’re showing a lot of broadside, so you must always maneuver and use speed juke to dodge the enemy’s attack. You can try this simple tactic: stay at medium range (14-17 km), 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.

Is it worth to buy?

L3’s playstyle is similar to KGV, although at top tier it doesn’t feel that good. Most of the time, L3 is used as a support and needs a good team for it to shine.

L3 is a tech tree ship, which means you just have to grind it. No need to spend money. In general, L3 line is not a priority for new players because it requires a lot of skill to have an average performance.

Strengths
MAP ammunition can penetrate any bow and stern armor. Large caliber guns. Good concealment. Amazing acceleration. Good maneuverability. Good repair.
Weaknesses
Bad turret firing angle, slow shell velocity, vertical style dispersion, bad armor, easy to get burned, bad AA, slow speed, no fighter plane.
General playstyle
Ambushing, kiting, bowtanking, pushing
Preferred fighting range
Short to 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
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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