Battleship - Europe Tier IX Niord
Captain & Ship Build and Strategy Guide
- Build focus: Standard battleship build
- Playstyle: Fast, stealthy battleship with a focus on main guns and torpedo attacks
- Main strength: Accurate 380mm guns with a fast reload
- Torpedoes: Twenty fast torpedoes with a tight spread and long range
- Mobility: High top speed and good concealment
- Main weakness: Low HP pool and relatively low damage per main-battery salvo
- Secondary battery: Average; secondary specialization is not the primary build
- Applies to: Niord
Niord is a Tier IX European battleship with an unusual combination of high speed, good concealment, accurate 380mm guns and an enormous torpedo armament. Her twenty torpedo tubes are one of the ship's defining characteristics, while the relatively small main-battery salvo and low HP pool keep her from simply playing like a conventional heavy battleship.
The supplied 21-point captain build uses the standard setup rather than specializing heavily into either secondaries or a gimmick. This fits Niord well because her main guns remain the most reliable way to generate damage throughout the battle, with the torpedoes providing additional pressure when enemies move into their effective range.
Niord's eight 380mm guns have a 21-second base reload, allowing her to maintain a steady stream of fire. They are also considerably more accurate than the low salvo count might initially suggest. Rather than waiting exclusively for perfect broadside targets, use the fast reload to maintain pressure on valuable targets and punish mistakes as they appear.
The torpedoes give Niord an entirely different option when the battle moves closer. She carries four quintuple launchers, giving her a massive 20-torpedo payload. The individual torpedoes deal relatively low damage and the launchers have a long reload, so they are best used deliberately for area denial, forcing turns or finishing damaged ships rather than simply launching whenever they are available.
Her speed and concealment are valuable tools for creating these opportunities. Niord can reposition much faster than many battleships, approach a threatened flank or disengage before a dangerous engagement becomes overwhelming. This mobility also helps compensate for her low HP pool, since avoiding unnecessary damage is more important than trying to absorb everything with armor.
Do not mistake the torpedo armament for a reason to rush into every fight. Niord's relatively weak salvo weight means that a close-range exchange against a healthier battleship can still go badly if your opponent survives the initial torpedo attack. Use your main battery to wear targets down first, then exploit your torpedoes when the enemy is committed or has limited room to maneuver.
The same principle applies to positioning. Niord is most effective when she can control the distance rather than being forced into a prolonged slugging match. Stay mobile, use concealment to break contact when necessary and look for opportunities to attack from angles where enemy ships cannot easily respond.
Niord is ultimately a flexible battleship that rewards active positioning. Keep the accurate main guns firing, use the torpedoes to manipulate enemy movement and take advantage of the ship's speed and concealment to decide when close combat is actually favorable.