HELENA

Country
United States of America (USA)

Class
Cruiser

MMweight
7.5

Obtain Method
Gem

Arena rating

B

PVP rating

B

Helena CL-50 is based on Brooklyn-class light cruisers, built in the late 1930s. Helena has improved machinery system and anti-aircraft battery. Just like Brooklyn, Helena has fifteen (5×3) 152 mm guns. Helena has the highest number of main guns in its tier, rivaling Mogami. Fast reload makes its DPM the highest on its tier. The accuracy is bad, but compensated by large amount of shells. The slow shell velocity makes it hard to aim at maneuvering targets. The shell arc is high, so Helena can lob shells from behind island very easily. Helena’s gun performance is good against MMweight 7.0 ships, but not against MMweight 8.0 ships (especially battleships).

Helena has paper thin armor just like Brooklyn. Battleships can citadel it from any angle. Even some heavy cruisers can hurt it really bad. A Helena spotted in open water can be deleted very quickly. Helena’s bad concealment further complicates things. Helena’s speed is rather slow but the maneuverability is good. Helena’s AA is better than Brooklyn, but still bad. Well, at least it has fighter planes as an additional defense.

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. Ideally, you want to be able to lob shells to the enemy but the enemy can’t see or shoot you back. Shoot only after you get into 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 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. Because in open water you need to fight at long range, your damage output will be low. But at least you can live longer.

Helena has bad concealment. It’s not good for capturing bases. However, Helena has long range radar that can help it detect the enemy and prevent getting ambushed. Hunting DDs is still hard because radar only shows silhouette. You need an ally DD in front that can spot the enemy DD. If the enemy DD is spotted within 10 km, Helena can easily destroy that DD with its fast reloading guns.

In a CV battle, always stay close to allied ships (especially BBs and CV) so you can protect each other with overlapping AA. Unfortunately, Helena can’t equip anti-air barrage consumable or else it will lose repair.

Is it worth to buy?

Helena is a very situational ship. It needs a good island to hide, good teammates to tank, and a cooperative enemy that sails into its effective range without shooting at it. However, Helena’s radar often proves useful in team battles due to its long range.

Helena is a gem ship. If you want to get it, you need to save gems from daily missions and events. It’s not worth to buy unless you’re an experienced cruiser player.

Strengths
Large shell volume (15 guns), good reload, good maneuverability, has fighter planes
Weaknesses
Slow shell velocity, bad accuracy, slow speed, bad concealment, bad armor, bad AA.
Consumables
Elite DC, elite repair (3 charges), anti-air barrage (unlimited)
General playstyle
Kiting, flanking, lobbing shells from behind island
Role/specialty
Radar spotting, damage dealer
Preferred enemy target
BB, cruiser

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 radar
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 – noise reduction – steering master
Damage control: buoyancy reserve – emergency flooding

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