WORCESTER

Country
United States of America (USA)

Class
Cruiser

MMweight
9.6

Obtain Method
Tech Tree

Arena rating

D

PVP rating

D

Worcester CL-144 was a light cruiser launched right after the closure of World War II. Unlike previous US cruisers, Worcester has twin turrets instead of triple turrets. Worcester’s guns can deal with surface and air targets.

Worcester has 6×2 152 mm guns as the primary armament. Worcester’s HE penetration is not sufficient to penetrate battleship and CV armor. This makes Worcester’s HE performance incredibly low. The HE is only useful against cruisers and destroyers. The AP is only good against broadside targets, but the slow shell velocity makes aiming hard. There are plenty of cruisers that has better AP performance. At more than 13 km, the dispersion is really bad. This further reduces its already low damage output. Worcester is one of the weakest top tier cruiser in the game.

The armor is pretty good for a light cruiser. It can bowtank 380 mm guns and the side armor is decent. However, at high tier there are so many battleships with high caliber that can penetrate it from any angle. Considering only two turrets can fire directly to the front (1/3 of total firepower), bowtanking is not a good option. Worcester is longer and has larger turning radius than its predecessors which makes it easier to hit. Worcester has slow speed so the player must plan far ahead before committing to an attack.

Even though Worcester’s surface detectability is decent, there are several other cruisers with better stealth and even smokescreen. Cruisers that have worse stealth usually have better armor and survivability. Due to those awkward characteristics, Worcester is actually very fragile.

In battle, Worcester’s role is as an AA cruiser. Worcester’s AA is very good. It has the second best AA among cruisers (after Gloucester). Combined with anti-air barrage consumable, Worcester can be a deterrent to CV strikes. For a battle without CV, Worcester can equip radar consumable in exchange of anti-air barrage. Worcester can become a strong counter to destroyers. A destroyer spotted within 10 km will melt quickly from Worcester’s high DPM. However, due to Worcester’s fragility, hunting destroyer is not recommended when there are enemy battleships in that area.

Playstyle

At the start of the battle, check the team list to see if there’s a CV in play. Worcester’s playstyle in a CV battle is very different from regular battle. The way to play Worcester (and other AA-focused cruisers) in a CV battle is to move to a position where it can protect many allies, creating overlapping AA bubbles, and make the enemy CV afraid to attack. No need to shoot your guns. Your job is to catch the enemy CV off guard.

Observe the flying direction of the enemy planes and anticipate where the planes will attack. Once you make a prediction, quickly move to protect the ally. Ideally, when the enemy planes are still 10 km away from their target, Worcester is also already at less than 10 km moving closer to the target. If the planes are within 5 km of your ship, activate the anti-air barrage consumable. Next is just hope that the CV is dumb so their planes get wrecked. A competent CV player can still bypass its AA. A strong CV player will kill Worcester instead. Keep in mind that Worcester can be deleted by BB salvos while it’s being detected by planes. Every time you’re detected, angle your ship away from the enemy. Careful positioning is very important. Your damage output will be low but you can be useful by staying alive and protecting your allies.

In a regular battle without CV, 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. Use radar consumable when you’re close to the middle to prevent getting ambushed by the enemy. If the enemy is spotted, let your battleships shoot the enemy first. You need to find a big island to hide first. 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 island to hide, stay 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 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.

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.

In a battle with destroyers, sail together with your ally destroyer. Equip radar consumable if possible. Use that radar when the ally destroyer is sailing close to a base so nobody will get ambushed. If the enemy destroyer is spotted, focus fire on that destroyer. Don’t shoot another enemy. If the enemy destroyer gets sunk, your team’s chance of victory will increase significantly. Remember, when shooting, the enemy can shoot you back. Always pay attention to all enemies and speed juke to dodge incoming attacks.

Is it worth to buy?

Worcester is a light cruiser with the sole purpose of providing AA support. However, CVs in this game are really strong. Even Taiho can one shot it. The CV player can also choose not to enter its AA range and simply attack another target. Worcester is slow and won’t be able to catch up. This makes Worcester’s role questionable. It’s only good against complete noobs.

Worcester is a tech tree ship. If you want to get it, you just have to grind it. In general, the US light cruiser line is not worth to grind.

Strengths
Very fast reload, fast turret rotation speed, decent armor (for a light cruiser), decent concealment, great AA.
Weaknesses
Slow shell velocity, bad accuracy, bad penetration, slow speed, no planes.
Consumables
Elite DC, elite repair (3 charges), anti-air barrage (unlimited) / 12 km  radar (4 charges)
General playstyle
Kiting, flanking, lobbing shells from behind island
Role/specialty
Wide AA protection
Preferred enemy target
Planes

Recommended Build

Equipment
Slot 1: adv. disaster retardant module
Slot 2: engine enhancement module
Slot 3: AA-guns enhancement module or cruiser aiming system module
Consumables
Slot 1: elite damage control
Slot 2: elite repair
Slot 3: elite anti-air barrage or elite radar
Crew Skills (after basic skill)
Captain: artillery warning – boost morale – hull protection
Gun: ADA enhancement – crack gunner – high speed aiming
Engine: quick shift – adv. quick shift – steering master
Damage control: buoyancy reserve – emergency flooding – extinguish

Back to cruiser reviews