Cruiser - France Tier IX Carnot
Captain & Ship Build and Strategy Guide
- Build focus: Stealthy AP ambush gameplay with emphasis on concealment, main battery performance and mobility
- Alternative build: Lighthouse build for players who want to compensate for Carnot's low sustained DPM with maximum long-range firepower
- Main battery: Ten 305 mm guns with 18.56 km range and 25-second reload
- Primary ammunition: AP against broadside targets, HE when enemies remain angled
- AP damage: Up to 8,700 damage per shell
- HE penetration: 51 mm, allowing effective damage against heavily armored targets
- Mobility: Enhanced Engine Boost is a major part of Carnot's defensive and flanking gameplay
- Captain option: Top Grade Gunner can be replaced with Outnumbered, particularly for Ranked or Asymmetric Battles
- Alternative setup: For the Lighthouse build, use the Henri IV Lighthouse build as the template
- Playstyle: Use speed and concealment to flank enemy formations, punish broadsides and disengage when targets begin angling
- Key strength: High speed, powerful salvoes and strong survivability
- Key weakness: Low sustained DPM and a large hull make prolonged engagements unfavorable
- Applies to: France Tier IX Carnot
Carnot is a Tier IX French large cruiser built around speed, heavy-caliber guns and high-impact individual salvoes. Her ten 305 mm guns can deliver significant damage when they find the right target, while Enhanced Engine Boost gives her the mobility needed to play aggressively around enemy flanks. The major weakness is sustained damage output: once enemies stop cooperating and begin angling, Carnot's long reload makes it difficult to maintain pressure.
The recommended build takes advantage of Carnot's ability to approach targets under concealment and punish them with AP. Rather than attempting to win a prolonged gunfight through DPM, the ship looks for favorable engagements where one or two accurate salvos can have a major impact. This makes broadside cruisers particularly attractive targets.
Carnot's ten 305 mm guns have a 25-second reload and battlecruiser dispersion. The caliber provides excellent alpha damage, but the combination of dispersion and slow reload means that careless shots are expensive. Wait for targets to expose vulnerable angles and make each salvo count.
AP should normally be the preferred ammunition when an enemy cruiser presents a broadside. Carnot's 305 mm AP shells can deal up to 8,700 damage, giving the ship substantial burst potential. When a cruiser turns away or angles heavily, however, continuing to fire AP may produce poor results. This is where Carnot's relatively low sustained DPM becomes apparent.
HE is the practical alternative against angled targets. Carnot's 305 mm HE has 51 mm of penetration and a 25% fire chance, allowing the ship to continue dealing direct damage and creating fires when AP cannot find a favorable angle.
The central concept of the build is the stealthy AP ambush. Use Carnot's concealment to approach an enemy flank without revealing your intentions too early. The ideal target is a cruiser or battleship that is already engaged with one of your allies and therefore less likely to be watching for a large cruiser approaching from the side.
Flanking is particularly effective because Carnot's guns become much more dangerous when they attack a formation from an unexpected angle. Instead of fighting an enemy ship head-on, use your speed to reach a position where the target has to expose its broadside either to you or to your teammates.
Timing the attack is more important than simply reaching the enemy quickly. Carnot may be fast, but her large hull makes her difficult to conceal once the attack begins. Choose your approach so that there is already a target worth shooting when you become detected. Opening fire without a clear target can leave you exposed while the enemy has plenty of time to angle against you.
Top Grade Gunner is the recommended offensive choice for the standard setup, but Outnumbered is a valid alternative. This is particularly attractive in Ranked or Asymmetric Battles, where the situations required to activate Outnumbered may occur more frequently and the additional offensive value can help compensate for Carnot's relatively low sustained damage output.
Carnot can also be transformed into a Lighthouse-style cruiser. The current community build specifically describes a Lighthouse alternative designed to compensate for her low DPM by maximizing long-range firepower. The Henri IV Lighthouse build is the recommended template for this alternative.
The standard ambush build is generally more distinctive because it makes better use of Carnot's concealment and speed. The Lighthouse alternative is more appropriate for players who prefer to remain at longer range, continuously farm targets and rely on maneuverability rather than concealment to avoid incoming fire.
Enhanced Engine Boost is one of Carnot's most important tools regardless of which build you choose. The consumable increases both top speed and engine power, helping the ship reposition and dodge incoming fire more effectively. The official Wiki lists Enhanced Engine Boost as one of Carnot's primary advantages.
For the ambush build, Engine Boost is particularly valuable during the final approach. Use it to close the distance once the target is committed, then exploit the additional speed to reposition after the salvo. The goal is to attack quickly and then create enough distance that the enemy has difficulty returning effective fire.
The same speed is useful defensively. When several enemy ships begin focusing Carnot, activate Engine Boost and start changing course and speed. Her maneuverability allows her to dodge incoming fire more effectively than her large silhouette might suggest. However, do not wait until you are already surrounded before attempting to escape.
The opening phase should therefore be relatively patient. Identify the enemy deployment, determine where the major battleship guns are positioned and look for a flank that can be approached safely. Carnot's value is considerably higher when she reaches the first major engagement with most of her HP intact.
Avoid becoming the first cruiser detected on a flank. Carnot can survive punishment, but her large hull makes her an attractive target when multiple enemy ships have a clear firing solution. Use islands and friendly ships to mask the initial approach and only expose the ship when there is a worthwhile target.
Broadside cruisers should normally be the primary targets. A cruiser that is distracted by your allies may remain broadside long enough for Carnot to deliver a devastating salvo. If the target immediately begins angling, do not stubbornly chase it. Your low sustained DPM makes it difficult to grind down an alert cruiser that refuses to expose vulnerable armor.
This is where Carnot's ability to go dark and repositionbecomes essential. Once the enemy angles against you, stop firing when practical and use concealment to disappear. Relocate to another angle instead of spending the next several minutes exchanging inefficient salvos with the same target.
Against battleships, HE provides a useful way to remain active when they are angled. Carnot's 51 mm penetration allows her 305 mm HE shells to damage heavily armored sections that smaller-caliber guns may struggle against. However, battleships should generally be treated as secondary targets during the opening stages unless they provide an exceptionally good opportunity.
A battleship that turns broadside can become a much more attractive target. Carnot's AP can deliver significant damage, especially when the enemy is already occupied with another ship. The key is to recognize the window and fire before the battleship has time to correct its angle.
Destroyers are not Carnot's ideal prey. Her large guns can inflict serious damage against a spotted DD, but the slow reload and large hull make actively hunting destroyers inefficient. Support allied destroyers instead and use your main battery when the enemy DD becomes exposed.
Mid-range combat is where Carnot becomes particularly dangerous. Once you have reached the flank and enemy support has been weakened, shorten the engagement distance enough to improve your chances of landing meaningful AP damage. At the same time, retain enough room to disengage if the enemy focuses you.
Carnot's armor and survivability give her some freedom to remain in these engagements longer than a fragile light cruiser. The official Wiki lists high survivability among her advantages. Nevertheless, durability should be used to support aggressive positioning rather than to justify unnecessary damage trades.
If the enemy flank starts collapsing, do not wait for the situation to become critical. Use Engine Boost to begin disengaging, turn toward a safer position and allow concealment to break contact. A successful Carnot attack often ends with the ship disappearing and setting up the next attack rather than fighting until one side is destroyed.
The Lighthouse alternative changes this rhythm considerably. Instead of repeatedly disappearing and repositioning for AP ambushes, the Lighthouse Carnot remains farther away and focuses on maximizing sustained firepower. This sacrifices some concealment flexibility for a higher damage ceiling.
The Lighthouse setup also makes Carnot's ability to dodge incoming fire more important. When operating at longer range, vary your course and speed continuously. Her large hull makes her easy to see, so survival depends on making incoming shells difficult to place rather than relying entirely on concealment.
The choice between the two builds therefore comes down largely to engagement preference. The standard build is better for players who enjoy stalking enemy formations and delivering high-impact AP salvos, while the Lighthouse build is better for players who prefer constant long-range pressure.
Carnot's low rate of fire is the defining limitation in both versions. The official Wiki lists her 25-second reload and 2.4 rounds per minute, making sustained damage noticeably lower than on many cruisers. This is why Carnot should focus on quality targets rather than trying to maintain maximum firing uptime at all costs.
An enemy cruiser showing broadside for even a few seconds can be more valuable than several minutes of mediocre HE farming against an angled battleship. Learn to recognize these windows and position the ship so that the guns are ready when the opportunity appears.
In the late game, Carnot becomes more dangerous because there are fewer ships available to punish her flanking maneuvers. An isolated cruiser can be approached under concealment, while damaged battleships become increasingly vulnerable to 305 mm AP. The ship's speed also becomes more valuable when chasing retreating enemies or rotating between objectives.
At this stage, do not hesitate to use Engine Boost aggressively. The consumable can allow Carnot to close distance, dodge return fire and reposition quickly enough to create crossfires. However, always consider whether there is a safe route out before committing to an attack.
The biggest mistake with Carnot is trying to win a conventional DPM race. She will often lose that fight because of the 25-second reload. Her purpose is to create high-value firing opportunities through speed, positioning and concealment, then deliver heavy salvoes when the enemy cannot adequately respond.
Another mistake is continuing to attack a target after it has correctly angled against you. Carnot's low sustained DPM makes this particularly inefficient. When the enemy starts angling, go dark, reposition and look for another broadside. This habit is one of the most important differences between effective and ineffective Carnot play.
Overall, Carnot is a high-speed French Tier IX battlecruiser with heavy 305 mm guns, strong survivability and excellent mobility. Her low rate of fire prevents her from competing through sustained DPM, but the combination of speed and heavy AP makes her extremely dangerous when attacking the flank of an unsuspecting cruiser.
The standard build is best suited to the stealthy AP ambush role: use concealment and speed to outflank the enemy, punish broadsides and disappear when targets begin angling. Players who prefer continuous long-range damage can instead use the Henri IV Lighthouse build as a template and rely more heavily on open-water maneuvering.