MIKHAIL KUTUZOV

Country
Soviet Union (USSR)

Class
Cruiser

MMweight
8.5

Obtain Method
Prism

Arena rating

B

PVP rating

B

Mikhail Kutuzov is a light cruiser Project 68-Bis of the Soviet Navy. It’s a Sverdlov-class cruiser, but with several differences from Sverdlov in the game. Mikhail Kutuzov has 4×3 152 mm guns with slow reload but high shell velocity, long range, and good accuracy. It can be used for sniping. The shell arc is decent. It can lob shells from behind island, although not as good as other light cruisers.

Aside from regular armor piercing (AP), Mikhail Kutuzov has a unique ammunition called semi armor piercing (SAP). It doesn’t have HE. SAP works like AP with slightly lower basic penetration value but has a small chance to set fires. Yes, think of it as an AP that can set fires. If the enemy is broadsiding, Mikhail Kutuzov’s SAP can deal massive penetration damage while also setting them on fire. Read more about SAP here. SAP makes it superior to other light cruisers when fighting highly armored ships (battleships). Other light cruisers are hopeless when the enemy battleship is bowtanking, but Kutuzov still has a fighting chance due to SAP having higher penetration than regular HE but still can set fires. However, when fighting against cruisers, Kutuzov’s slow reload is a disadvantage while having SAP doesn’t provide much advantage over regular HE.

Kutuzov’s armor is strong for a light cruiser. The bow can be overmatched by 380 mm AP, but angling can bounce a lot of battleship caliber shells. The deck armor is pretty solid so it’s comfortable for fighting at long range. The concealment is bad, but the maneuverability is decent. Mikhail Kutuzov has 5 torpedoes per side with 8 km range. It has helicopters as an additional defense against attack planes.

Playstyle

At the start of the battle, sail to a flank. If the enemy is spotted, let your battleships shoot the enemy first. Just like all cruisers, you need to find a good island to hide while still being able to lob shells. 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.

If there’s no such island, Kutuzov can be played in open water. If you’re fighting in open water, you must stay at more than 13 km from enemy battleship (at least outside of your base detection range). 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 to increase its effectiveness. Don’t show broadside and don’t bowtank the enemy. Always keep your ship 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.

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. Use SAP as your default ammunition. In many cases, even against broadsiding enemies, SAP is still better. AP is better only if you’re shooting at a broadsiding cruiser at close range.

Kutuzov’s torpedoes are often useless, but it can be an additional weapon when kiting or ambushing from behind island. 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?

Kutuzov is one of very few light cruisers that are competitive in high tier, especially with the proliferation of battleships that has high caliber guns. Kutuzov is a versatile cruiser, capable of fighting alone or in team. The downside is it has no utility to offer except dealing damage. Since it’s a light cruiser, the damage output potential won’t surpass a heavy cruiser anyway.

Mikhail Kutuzov is a prism ship. To get prism, you must spend money. It’s not worth to buy unless you really like playing gunboat cruisers.

Strengths
Has S-AP, high velocity and accurate guns, long range, good armor, has torpedoes, has fighter planes
Weaknesses
Slow reload, slow speed, bad concealment
Consumables
Elite DC, elite repair (3 charges), anti-air barrage (4 charges)
General playstyle
Kiting, flanking, sniping
Role/specialty
Damage dealer
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 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

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