SHIRANE

Country
Japan

Class
Cruiser

MMweight
9.0

Obtain Method
Gem

Arena rating

C

PVP rating

C

Shirane is a design B-65 super type A cruiser of the Japanese Navy. Shirane’s appearance was inspired by Yamato. Shirane has nine 310 mm guns mounted in triple turrets. Due to high caliber, perhaps it’s more appropriate to call Shirane a battlecruiser. Shirane has very good accuracy and long range, but unfortunately the shell velocity is very slow. The slow shell velocity makes aiming hard, which contradicts the range and accuracy advantage that this ship has compared to other cruisers. Even though the shell velocity is slow, Shirane has flat shell arc. It’s hard for Shirane to lob shells from behind island. In general, Shirane’s guns are very strange among Japanese ships and requires more adaptation. If your aim is good, Shirane can deliver large amount of damage per salvo. But if your aim is bad, Shirane will get farmed instead.

Shirane’s armor is bad for a battlecruiser. Only the side armor is good, but there are so many battleships with high penetration. Fortunately, unlike most battlecruisers, Shirane has cruiser-level acceleration. This really helps to dodge attacks from battleships, especially since it has big size and slow speed. Shirane’s firing angle is decent so angling is not hard. Shirane is a long ship and therefore the concealment is bad. Shirane’s maneuverability is decent for a battlecruiser, but still bad for a cruiser. Shirane’s AA is bad but it has fighter planes and anti-air barrage consumable for additional defenses.

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. Unfortunately, Shirane has flat shell arc so it’s often impossible to find such a good position.

If there’s no such island, fight in open water at 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. Don’t show broadside. If you can’t dodge the enemy’s shells, try to take them on the belt while angling. 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. This is hard to do because Shirane has bad concealment and slow speed, but it’s worth to try. Always angle your ship so you don’t get citadeled.

Shirane’s concealment is bad so it’s not suitable for spotting, hunting destroyers, and capturing bases. In a CV battle, sail together with your teammates so you can protect each other with overlapping AA.

Is it worth to buy?

Shirane could be a strong ship if only it has fast shell velocity just like other Japanese cruisers. Shirane’s bad armor also makes it incapable of aggressive gameplay. If the player is not experienced, even light cruisers can defeat it.

Shirane is a gem ship. If you want to get it, you need to save gems from daily missions and events. It’s only worth to buy if you like playing battlecruisers and has good aim. If you don’t, save your gems.

Strengths
High caliber and accurate guns, good damage, long range, decent firing angle, large HP, has fighter planes
Weaknesses
Slow shell velocity, flat shell arc, slow reload, bad armor, bad concealment, big size, bad AA, easy to get burned, slow speed
Consumables
Advanced DC (20 secs duration, 20% dmg reduction), elite repair (3 charges), anti-air barrage (4 charges)
General playstyle
Kiting, sniping, flanking.
Role/specialty
Damage dealer
Preferred enemy target
BB

Recommended Build

Equipment
Slot 1: adv. disaster retardant module
Slot 2: engine enhancement module
Slot 3: main battery enhancement module or aiming system module
Consumables
Slot 1: large cruiser advanced 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
Damage control: emergency flooding – buoyancy reserve – extinguish

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