European Destroyers: Branch Review

Published by on 08.04.2020

Features of the New Tech Tree Branch

Their torpedoes’ long range, fast reload, and high speed are balanced by the relatively limited damage they can inflict. The torpedoes can be set to fan out in two spreads: narrow or super narrow.
Good AA defenses with a solid reach.
Destroyers of Tier VIII and above are equipped with the Defensive AA Fire consumable.
Ships of Tier VII and higher are equipped with rapid-firing main battery guns that are effective at short distances. Exchanging fire over long distances is less comfortable due to the arcing trajectory of the shells and the guns’ limited firing range.
Despite lacking Smoke Generator, they enjoy good concealment—Halland’s is as low as 6 km.
Destroyers of Tier V and above have access to the Repair Party consumable. It restores 1% of any lost HP per second and has an action time of 10 seconds. At Tiers VIII–X, the active duration of the consumable is 14 seconds.

Tactics

Don’t jump straight into capturing a Key Area at the very beginning of the battle! Your ship’s relatively small HP pool combined with the lack of Smoke Generator will make you an easy target for the enemy team.

Take advantage of your good concealment and your main weapon—fast torpedoes. Help your team detect enemy ships, and carry out surprise attacks.

Keep in mind that your torpedoes’ excellent range and speed, as well as their fast reload time, are compensated for by their low damage. You may need to conduct several attacks in order to destroy a battleship.

Towards the end of a battle, rush to capture Key Areas.

The ships’ good artillery and access to the Repair Party consumable will help if you get into any brawls with your opponents. However, you would be well-advised to avoid engaging several ships at once.

It’s usually wise to stay closer to your allies when you come under attack from enemy aircraft, but that’s not the case for European destroyers! The ships’ good AA defenses, together with Defensive AA Fire when playing ships of Tier VIII and above, will allow you to effectively fend off any enemy squadrons.