DUKE OF EDINBURGH

Country
United Kingdom (UK)

Class
Cruiser

MMweight
9.6

Obtain Method
Tech Tree

Arena rating

B

PVP rating

B

Duke of Edinburgh has the highest HE performance among cruisers. High accuracy and shell velocity also means it can hit long range target easily. Unfortunately, the fire chance has been nerfed so it doesn’t burn as effectively as before. The torpedo angle is great, but it only has 5 torpedoes on each side with 10 km range.

In exchange for high HE performance, its survivability is the lowest in its tier. Duke can’t fire all guns without exposing a lot of broadside, so utilizing its firepower comes with a huge risk. Not to mention its armor, concealment, and maneuverability are very bad. If the player makes a mistake, Duke of Edinburgh can be easily deleted by any battleship salvo. That’s why it’s very important to have excellent situational awareness and well-trained crews before using this ship.

Playstyle

Duke of Edinburgh’s guns are tailored for long range combats. It has good accuracy, high shell velocity, and long range. Hitting targets at long range is much easier compared to with other cruisers. Also, because it has great HE penetration, it can inflict a lot of damage per salvo. Duke’s AP penetration is bad. Even if the enemy is broadsiding, it’s generally better to stick with HE. Aim at different parts of the enemy so you can set multiple fires.

Duke of Edinburgh has terrible survivability. Even 380 mm guns can citadel it from any angle. Combined with bad maneuverability, concealment, and firing angle, you have to stay at least 14 km from enemy battleships. Anything closer than that, the enemy can easily shoot and sink this ship even inside smokescreen. Sniping is highly recommended. Dodge incoming attacks with speed juke. Use smoke if necessary.

Duke of Edinburgh has torpedoes, but don’t blindly rush the enemies unless your enemy is a cruiser without torpedo. Those torpedoes are generally used as an alternative method of attacking when kiting.

Just like other British heavy cruisers, Duke’s smokescreen only has 4 puffs. If you’re sailing at full speed and you activate the smokescreen consumable, you must hit reverse immediately. If you don’t do that, Duke will be out of the smokescreen when the consumable deactivates. If you just want to use smokescreen as a cover before turning broadside or running away, you don’t need to slow down.

Duke of Edinburgh has bad concealment. It’s not good for capturing bases, spotting enemies, or hunting DDs Duke’s AA is not good, but with smokescreen it can protect itself from planes.

Is it worth to buy?

Duke of Edinburgh is a powerful damage dealer and it’s a tech tree ship. You should grind it if you are familiar with using smokescreen and like burning enemies.

Strengths
Good HE penetration, good accuracy, high shell velocity, a lot of guns, long range, has torpedoes, has fighter planes
Weaknesses
Bad AP penetration, bad turret firing angle, bad maneuverability, bad concealment, bad armor, slow speed, planes only have 3 km spotting ability
Consumables
Elite DC, super repair (4 charges), smokescreen (3 charges)
General playstyle
Sniping, flanking, kiting
Role/specialty
Damage dealer, ally smoke protection
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: super repair
Slot 3: elite smokescreen
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
Torpedo: engine maintenance – excess charge – weak point attack

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