Hey, fairly new to naval, but have played a fair bit (probably around ~30 hours, maybe 50) with having watched tutorials on it before, set up controls that suit me best, and etc.
I want to grind the Japanese line, but as you all probably know, it’s a bit bleak trying to get through it without a premium. The sales are currently on, and pack sales start in 2 days, so I figured I might use this to grab a premium.
I’ve heard above 6.0 non-BB premiums get shredded, so does that mean Myuoko and Mikuma are off the table? I would presume so, I also don’t understand why both are the same BR but different ranks.
So that means either Yamashiro or Nagato… Then again, was Nagato on sale last sale? So will it be on now? Either way, any help on deciding this would be nice because I don’t want to buy something without research.
I was in a pretty similar spot not long ago so I’ll keep it real with you.
First, you’re right about high tier non BB premiums, they get punished hard if you’re still learning naval. Myoko and Mikuma aren’t bad ships, but they’re not forgiving at all. You’ll explode fast if you misposition, so I wouldn’t recommend them for grinding unless you’re already comfortable.
If your goal is grinding efficiently and not suffering, BBs are just way more consistent.
Yamashiro is probably the safest pick. It’s slower, yeah, but it prints RP and SL just by existing and tanking. Way more forgiving, good guns, and you don’t get deleted instantly for small mistakes.
Nagato is stronger overall, but it sits higher and matchmaking can be rougher. If you’re still learning, Yamashiro will feel a lot better long term.
About rank vs BR, don’t overthink it too much. BR is what actually matters for matchmaking, rank mostly affects progression and rewards.
If I had to give you a simple answer:
Want safe grind and consistency → Yamashiro
Want stronger ship but harder games → Nagato
Want cruisers → only if you’re confident and okay with dying fast sometimes
Personally, I’d go Yamashiro and just chill grind instead of sweating every match.
Not automatically; if you’re good with cruisers you can thrive even in a BB-infested environment, as long as you ignore those and focus on enemy DDs and cruisers. You’re also likely to earn a lot more money with cruisers than BBs, as their higher RoF means you cause damage more often, which is the main metric for SL gain.
That being said, there are better options in other trees for that kind of gameplay. Also, your main source of RP is Time Played, so using a BB is generally a safer bet.
Nagato most likely won’t be on sale, as she’s been introduced too recently. Yamashiro is the better choice in any case (despite having a slightly worse RP modifier), as in her BR range she’s more forgiving to play with regards to her strengths and weaknesses than Nagato, and less likely to face overwhelming opposition.