ALBANY

Country
United States of America (USA)

Class
Cruiser

MMweight
9.0

Obtain Method
Prism

Arena rating

B

PVP rating

B

Albany is an Oregon City-class cruiser post refit. Albany is similar to Oregon City in many aspects, but the main improvement is in the anti-aircraft (AA) capability.

Albany has nine 203 mm guns, mounted in triple turrets. The reload and damage are good. Albany’s HE can penetrate battleship deck armor, although at high tier there are some battleships that are more resistant. Albany’s low accuracy and slow shell velocity makes it hard to reliably deal damage at more than 13 km range. The shell arc is high, so Albany can lob shells from behind island easily.

Albany has similar armor with Oregon City. Albany’s bow armor can bounce 406 mm caliber. This is a huge advantage over other cruisers that can only cower in front of a battleship. Albany can become a tank and rush a battleship as long as the caliber is not more than 406 mm or the enemy doesn’t have MAP. The belt armor is similar to Baltimore. There are more large caliber battleships with high penetration at high tier so Albany’s belt armor doesn’t feel as effective. Albany’s speed is rather slow but the maneuverability is good. The surface detectability is worse than Oregon City, borderline bad. The AA is much stronger than Oregon City but still below Newport News and Cheyenne. Albany doesn’t have planes.

Playstyle

At the start of the battle, sail to a flank. Don’t sail too forward. Don’t get yourself spotted first. Remember, shooting will increase your detectability range so don’t do that unless you absolutely need to. If the enemy is spotted, let your battleships shoot the enemy first. You need to find a big island to hide behind. Ideally, you want to be able to lob shells to the enemy but the enemy can’t see or shoot you back. Shoot after you get a good position. If you’re getting shot, just move closer to the island to hide or run away.

If there’s no such island, fight in open water at more than 13 km from enemy battleship. Angle your ship away from the enemy (kiting position). Speed juke to dodge shells. You can try this simple speed juke tactic: 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. Turn your ship away to increase its effectiveness. Don’t show broadside. If you can’t dodge, try to take the shells on the belt armor while angled. If your HP is low, just run away and stop shooting. Once you get out of your basic detection range, you won’t be spotted anymore.

If you’re brave and there’s no enemy that can overmatch your armor (410 mm+ caliber or MAP ammunition), you can play aggressively. Point your bow towards the enemy. Stay beside an island to cover your citadel. If there’s no island, alter your speed regularly (between half speed and reverse) to throw off the enemy’s aim. This playstyle allows you to get much higher damage output, gain map control, and help your teammates survive.

To maximize your effectiveness, try to create a crossfire with your teammates. If your teammate is tanking, you sail to the side of the enemy ship and shoot at their broadside.

In a CV battle, always stay close to allied ships (especially BBs and CV) so you can protect each other with overlapping AA and anti-air barrage consumable. Observe where the enemy CV’s planes are heading, then preemptively move to protect your teammates. Your damage output will be low but you can be useful.

Is it worth to buy?

Albany is strong and can still be useful in a CV battle. If the enemy has no ship that can overmatch its bow, Albany can tank for a long time. Unfortunately, low damage output limits its carry potential. There are many cruisers and battleships that can outgun it if the player is not careful.

Albany is a prism ship. If you want to get it, you must spend money. It’s worth to buy if you can play Oregon City properly. If you’re not familiar with Oregon City’s playstyle, don’t buy it. Remember, this is not a pay-to-win game. Skill matters more than the ship. Even if you’re using a prism ship, someone with lower tier ship can sink you easily if you play badly.

Strengths
Fast reload, good penetration, good bow armor, good AA
Weaknesses
Slow shell velocity, slow turret rotation speed, bad accuracy, slow speed, no planes
Consumables
Elite DC, elite repair (3 charges), anti-air barrage (4 charges)
General playstyle
Kiting, flanking, pushing, bowtank with island cover, lobbing shells from behind island
Role/specialty
Offtank, damage dealer, wide AA protection
Preferred enemy target
BB, cruiser, plane

Recommended Build

Equipment
Slot 1: adv. disaster retardant module
Slot 2: engine enhancement module
Slot 3: cruiser aiming system module
Consumables
Slot 1: elite damage control
Slot 2: elite repair
Slot 3: elite anti-air barrage
Crew Skills (after basic skill)
Captain: artillery warning – hull protection – boost morale
Gun: crack gunner – high speed aiming – burn the ship behind
Engine: quick shift – adv. quick shift – steering master – noise reduction
Damage control: buoyancy reserve – emergency flooding – extinguish

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