Azuma also has a fairly mediocre anti-aircraft suite, with the majority of its strength concentrated in long-range flak bursts that a skilled carrier player will easily dodge.
This means she is exceedingly vulnerable to high explosive rounds at nearly all ranges and angles - as well as being overmatched by all 380mm class or larger battleship guns - in addition to her citadel spaces extending above the waterline. It's a good thing Azuma has all that main battery range to play with: of the Tier IX large cruisers, Azuma is by far the least durable, featuring no plating thicker than 25mm other than her internal belt and deck armor. Overall, her main battery performance is a nice middle ground between the large cruisers already in the game: better HE performance than the rest, and comparable AP performance (though she lacks Alaska’s improved auto-bounce angles). The penetration values of her armor-piercing shells run about 10-15% lower than Kronshtadt at all ranges, but are pretty comparable to Alaska along the same curve.
Befitting her Japanese origins, she has the best HE alpha damage and fire chance of all the 12-inch armed cruisers, though her AP shell damage lacks slightly to that of her peers. Though they still lag behind Kronshtadt some, her shell velocities are noticeably better than Alaska, making her gunnery fairly comfortable to use all the way out to her maximum range. The main battery performance is the primary strength of the ship.Īzuma’s 310mm guns are the longest-ranged of the large cruisers found at Tier IX, clocking in at a base range of 19.1km before Gun Fire Control System Modification 2 or Spotting Aircraft. Azuma is well suited for long range fights, featuring nine 310mm guns in a 3x3 layout that have high velocity, flat arcs, and strong performance from her high explosive rounds. Tier IX Premium Japanese cruiser Azuma is in the same "large cruiser" category as her counterparts Alaska and Kronshtadt. The data presented in the AA Defense sidebar section may be incorrect.įor a graphic summary of ships Tiers VIII thru XI see LittleWhiteMouse's "Actual AA DPS".