Battleship - France Tier VIII Picardie
Captain & Ship Build and Strategy Guide
- Build focus: Standard French battleship tank build
- Playstyle: Mobile close- to mid-range battleship
- Main strength: Fast-firing 305mm main battery with Main Battery Reload Booster
- Main weakness: Low-caliber guns can struggle against heavily armored targets
- Key limitation: 305mm AP cannot overmatch 27mm+ cruiser armor
- Consumable: Main Battery Reload Booster can provide a rapid follow-up salvo
- Recommended approach: Use survivability skills to stay alive and maximize the number of salvos fired
- Applies to: Picardie
Picardie is essentially a Tier VIII evolution of the Lyon concept, keeping the large number of guns but switching to smaller-caliber 305mm weapons. The faster shells and Main Battery Reload Booster give her a different feel, but the lower caliber limits how effectively her AP can deal with well-angled cruisers and battleships.
The standard French battleship tank build is the best fit for Picardie. Since her main battery relies on firing more often rather than overwhelming targets with individual shell damage, survivability skills help you remain in the battle long enough to generate additional salvos. The current WoWS Captain Builds guide maintains dedicated builds for these battleship playstyles.
Her Main Battery Reload Booster is an important part of that firepower. The consumable reduces main-battery reload by 50% for 20 seconds, allowing Picardie to produce rapid follow-up salvos during important engagements. Fire your guns before activating the booster whenever possible so you get the maximum benefit from the shortened reload.
The main-gun caliber is the biggest limitation to keep in mind. The 305mm AP shells can overmatch light-cruiser armor, but thicker cruiser plating can simply bounce an angled shell. Against heavily angled targets, consider switching targets or ammunition rather than repeatedly firing AP into armor that your guns cannot defeat.
Picardie is most comfortable at close to medium range, where her high volume of fire becomes easier to capitalize on. Her shells have better velocity than the older Lyon-style guns, but getting closer also makes it easier to land multiple shells against maneuvering targets and take advantage of the Reload Booster.
The awkward gun layout can make firing the complete battery uncomfortable at times. Avoid exposing unnecessary broadside simply to bring every turret onto a target. A slightly smaller salvo from a safer angle is often better than taking a large amount of return fire for the sake of using every gun.
Use the Reload Booster selectively rather than activating it simply because it is available. It is most valuable when an enemy cruiser exposes a broadside, a damaged battleship is attempting to disengage or an important target is about to disappear behind cover. Creating two fast salvos in these situations can dramatically increase Picardie's burst damage.
Picardie is therefore best played as an active, mid-range battleship that relies on volume of fire rather than individual shell power. Preserve your HP, choose favorable targets and use the Reload Booster to create short bursts of overwhelming firepower when the opportunity appears.