SOUTH DAKOTA

Country
United States of America (USA)

Class
Battleship

MMweight
8.0

Obtain Method
Tech Tree

Arena rating

C

PVP rating

C

The South Dakota class was a group of four battleships built by the United States Navy. This class was based on North Carolina-class but more compact and better protected. South Dakota was the lead ship of its class. It entered service in 1942 and participated a lot of times during world war II. South Dakota was built as a flagship, so it has an extra deck on the conning tower for extra command space. However, two secondary gun turrets were removed to compensate the weight.

South Dakota has 3×3 406 mm guns with the same arrangement as North Carolina. The guns have good penetration and good damage. The accuracy is low but tends to spread horizontally. This means even if the player’s aim is bad, if the enemy is broadsiding some shells will still hit. The AP shell velocity is only 701 m/s, which makes aiming at more than 13 km range incredibly difficult for new players. South Dakota’s HE performance is very good, and the HE has decent shell velocity. When fighting distant targets, HE is usually a better option because of easier aim.

South Dakota’s side armor is among the weakest in its tier. The citadel size is huge, much bigger than North Carolina and Massachusetts. Even a low tier battleship can delete it if the player is broadsiding. However, the bow armor is good. It’s also relatively small, very maneuverable, and has decent concealment. South Dakota’s gimmick is engine overload consumable, which can increase its speed from 27 knots to 29.7 knots. The player must utilize its good maneuverability and strong bow armor to survive. The AA is great; better than most higher tier battleships. The secondary gun amount is less than North Carolina, but interestingly the reload and fire chance are high.

Playstyle

At the start of the battle, sail to a flank. Observe the enemy team. If your team’s firepower in your flank is superior, push together with your teammates. Since South Dakota has good bow armor, it can lead the formation. Fight at <13 km range. Bowtank the enemy and don’t show broadside. If possible, find an island to cover your side armor. You just need to fight one enemy at a time anyway. Hide behind island if you’re getting too much focused fire. You can show more broadside to fire all guns only when the enemy is not shooting at you or you’re skilled enough to out maneuver the enemy.

South Dakota has good maneuverability and engine overload consumable. It can turn from angled to bowtank (or vice versa) in a short time. This enables the player to use all guns, then bowtank again when the enemy shoots. The movement resembles a zig-zag pattern. Use engine overload consumable if you need to reach an important position quickly or run away from the enemy.

If you’re forced to fight at long range, use HE unless your aim is good. If the enemy’s firepower is superior, don’t push. Angle away and kite the enemy. Keep more than 12 km distance, shoot HE and burn the enemy. Switch to AP if the enemy is broadsiding.

In a battle with CVs in play, most of the time it turns to a long range battle. South Dakota will suffer because of slow shell velocity. However, its strong AA will be a deterrent to below average CV players. If you see the enemy CV is a noob, you can try to play more aggressively (but don’t rush). Also, try to sail together with your teammates so you can cover them with your AA. Your damage output might be low compared to sniper ships, but there’s a chance that you can be useful for your team.

South Dakota’s abilities and playstyle are very similar to North Carolina. If you can use North Carolina, you’ll adapt very quickly when using South Dakota.

Is it worth to buy?

South Dakota is a tricky ship to use. One wrong move can make you lose all your health. But it can be enjoyable in PVP where most battles are conducted at medium to short range. Just make sure to not show broadside.

South Dakota is a tech tree ship. If you want to get it, you just have to grind it. There’s no need to spend money. South Dakota is okay if you like to play in PVP, but not a priority to grind. Other lines like German or French battleships might be better for new players because they’re easier to use.

Strengths
Good penetration, good damage, good bow armor, good maneuverability, good AA, has fighter planes.
Weaknesses
Very slow shell velocity, below average accuracy, bad side armor, slow speed.
General playstyle
Pushing, bowtanking
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
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 – steering master
Damage control: emergency flooding – buoyancy reserve – extinguish

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