NELSON

Country
United Kingdom (UK)

Class
Battleship

MMweight
7.0

Obtain Method
Tech Tree

Arena rating

B

PVP rating

B

Nelson-class battleships were the only commissioned British battleships to carry a main armament of nine 16-inch (406 mm) guns. The most unusual feature however, and one that is immediately noticeable, is that these guns were all carried forward of the bridge. The third turret cannot shoot directly forward and directly backward. This makes Nelson terrible at fighting enemies at the back, but can swing all of its turrets faster if the enemy is at the front.

Nelson is part of the British MAP tech tree line. 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 has lower penetration compared to AP if the enemy is broadsiding. 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 on bowtanking.

Even though Nelson has MAP, the caliber of its AP is sufficient to overmatch all ships in its MMweight (except Gneisenau and Wichita). AP also has higher damage. Most of the time, AP is still better than MAP against MMweight 7.0 ships or below. Switch to MAP if the enemy can’t be penetrated by AP. The MAP ammunition will become more relevant when fighting higher tier ships. If you’re not sure which ammunition to choose, just stick to MAP.

Nelson has slow shell velocity. In addition, its dispersion pattern makes it hard to punish broadsiding enemies. It also struggles to hit long range targets. Nelson is simply not suitable for sniping.

Nelson has weak armor. The bow and stern can be overmatched by 380 mm guns. Do not bowtank the enemy. The side armor is weak. However, if angled well, Nelson can bounce a lot of shells. Nelson’s strongest armor is below the turrets. Try to bait the enemy to shoot at that part by angling and altering your speed. Most of the time, Nelson actually got citadeled from the bow because the player tries to bowtank 380+ mm guns.

Nelson’s speed is very slow, but compensated by amazing acceleration and excellent maneuverability. The acceleration level is 50% better than most battleships, on par with cruisers. Nelson is also relatively small.

Playstyle

Nelson is not good at sniping due to its dispersion pattern and slow shell velocity. At the start of the battle, sail to a flank. Nelson is slow, so it’s often still close to the center when the fight at the flank already happens. You don’t need to shoot yet if you’re not detected. Observe the situation first.

If your team’s firepower is superior in your flank, you push with your teammates. Angle your bow towards the enemy when pushing, but don’t bowtank. Use an island to cover your weak side armor. Nelson’s excellent maneuverability and acceleration helps it a lot. You can try this simple speed juke tactic: stay at medium range (8-13 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. Equip artillery warning crew skill for more situational awareness. 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 11-14 km range. Use speed juke to dodge shells. Ask your teammates to help you, because Nelson is bad at kiting.

Is it worth to buy?

Nelson is a very slow battleship with powerful guns. The playstyle is probably not enjoyable for many people. Nelson is a tech tree ship, which means you just have to grind it. No need to spend money. The continuations of Nelson are either average or weak. They require a lot of skill to use. In general, grinding the British battleship line is not recommended for new players.

Strengths
M-AP can penetrate any bow and stern armor. Amazing acceleration. Good repair.
Weaknesses
Bad turret firing angle, slow shell velocity, vertical style dispersion, short range, no rear guns, bad armor, slow speed, no fighter plane.
General playstyle
Pushing carefully
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
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: buoyancy reserve – emergency flooding – extinguish

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