CHIKUMA

Country
Japan

Class
Cruiser

MMweight
8.0

Obtain Method
Prism

Arena rating

B

PVP rating

C

Chikuma was the second ship of the Tone-class heavy cruiser. Entering service in 1939, Chikuma saw battle during World War II in the Pacific. Chikuma is similar to Tone in many aspects except the planes and torpedoes.

Chikuma has 4×2 203 mm guns with good accuracy and damage. It’s hard for Chikuma to fight enemies at the rear because all of its guns are at the front. Chikuma can’t be used for pushing either because it has bad armor. Chikuma’s armor is good, but it still requires very careful angling and positioning. Firing full salvo is only safe at long range or when the enemy isn’t shooting at it. Chikuma’s shell arc is flat, so it’s hard to lob shells from behind island but can hit long range targets easily.

Chikuma has plenty of torpedoes that has long range and good damage. Chikuma can easily launch torpedoes from stealth. Chikuma’s bombers are distinctly different from Tone. have higher durability, higher attack power, faster speed, and more planes than Tone. However, the bombers cannot spot the enemy. Chikuma’s bombers have high accuracy with good fire chance, so they’re used for inflicting damage. Chikuma is a cruiser that can pressure the enemy with both fire and flood from invisibility.

Chikuma has fast speed and good maneuverability. It has standard cruiser acceleration, unlike Tone that has improved one. The surface detectability is standard for a heavy cruiser. The AA is trash.

Playstyle

At the start of the battle, sail to a flank and launch your planes. 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.

Chikuma’s playstyle is very different from Tone or other cruisers. Pick a target that has low AA. First you launch torpedoes to the enemy, then attack with dive bombers. Usually, the dive bombers will reach the enemy first before the torpedoes. If the enemy doesn’t have good AA, there’s a high chance that you’ll set a fire. If the enemy uses damage control, turn your ship away to make a kiting position then fire your guns to burn him. If you’re lucky, your torpedoes will also hit and cause flood. This way, Chikuma can be a nasty damage dealer.

While firing your guns, try 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. If you’re getting shot, just move closer to the island to hide or run away. Because Chikuma’s guns are located at the front, this method might be hard to do. However, it’s still better than getting deleted.

If there’s no such island, shoot only when you’re more than 14 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. If the enemy is chasing you, drop your torpedoes too. Don’t show broadside and don’t bowtank the enemy.

If your torpedoes are reloaded, just run away and stop shooting. Once you get out of your basic detection range, you won’t be spotted anymore. Then you sail closer to around 12 km then launch torpedoes again. Use dive bombers too. While maneuvering, you don’t need to shoot unless absolutely needed.

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. This cruiser has fast speed so you must use it to find a good position quickly. If possible, sail in the same area as your ally destroyer. If the enemy destroyer is spotted, you must support him with your guns and planes.

Chikuma can be used to ambush an enemy. This move is very risky and requires more practice. Ideally, the enemy is bowtanking, not maneuvering, and is currently taking cover from behind an island. Use the same island to hide yourself as you move closer. Quietly approach the enemy that’s on the other side of the island. If possible, try to not get spotted. The plan is to torpedo the enemy at point blank range. After you clear the island, drop your torpedoes to the enemy, turn around, then sail away. Immediately sail at full speed, turn your ship to the left and right to dodge shells.

In a CV battle, always stay close to allied ships (especially BBs and CV) so you can protect each other with overlapping AA. You have fast shell velocity, so you don’t need to get close to the enemy anyway.

Is it worth to buy?

Chikuma is a unique damage dealer. It has a complete suite for attacking from underwater, surface, and air. However, it’s hard to use effectively and this partially counters Chikuma’s advantage. Chikuma needs a teammate that can divert the enemy’s attention away from it.

Chikuma is a prism ship. If you want to get it, you need to spend money. Considering it’s hard to use and requires lots of team support, it’s not worth to buy.

Strengths
High velocity and accurate guns, fast speed, good maneuverability, low freeboard, good armor, good torpedoes, has dive bombers
Weaknesses
Guns are all at the front, slow turret rotation speed, most of the guns have bad firing angle. Bad AA. Planes cannot spot enemies.
Consumables
Elite DC, elite repair (3 charges), anti-air barrage (4 charges) / underwater search (4 charges)
General playstyle
Flanking, sniping, bomber attack, torpedo spread, ambushing
Role/specialty
Damage dealer, area denial
Preferred enemy target
Cruiser, BB, DD

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 underwater search or elite anti-air barrage
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
Torpedo: engine maintenance – excess charge – weak point attack

Back to cruiser reviews