Destroyer - Europe Tier IX Friesland/Groningen - Captain & Gunboat Build
- Build focus: A dedicated gunboat build designed around Friesland/Groningen's exceptional main-battery DPM.
- Playstyle: Use Smoke Generator and Hydroacoustic Search to create close-to-mid-range gunfights where the ship's rapid-firing guns can overwhelm targets.
- Main battery: Eight 120 mm guns provide extremely high sustained DPM, making Friesland/Groningen one of the strongest pure gunboat destroyers at Tier IX.
- Consumables: The combination of long-duration Smoke Generator and 5 km Hydroacoustic Search gives the ship excellent control over close-range engagements.
- Trade-off: Friesland/Groningen has poor speed and no torpedoes, so positioning and route planning are critical.
- Support option: If an additional Smoke Generator charge is preferred, trade BFT for Superintendent.
- Commander: Janssen and De Ruyter can use the same build because Demolition Expert does not provide a significant enough fire-chance increase to justify changing the setup.
- Recommendation: A strong coal choice for players who enjoy dedicated destroyer gunboats and sustained gunfire.
- Applies to: IX Friesland and IX Groningen.
Friesland and her Pan-European counterpart Groningen are purpose-built gunboats that abandon torpedoes entirely in exchange for exceptional main-battery performance and powerful consumables. This makes them very different from conventional destroyers and places almost all of their offensive capability on the guns.
The ship's eight 120 mm guns are the foundation of the build. Their extremely fast reload allows Friesland/Groningen to maintain a continuous stream of shells against exposed targets. Rather than relying on individual high-alpha salvos, the ship wins engagements through volume of fire and the ability to keep a target under constant pressure.
The lack of torpedoes is an important part of the ship's identity. Friesland/Groningen cannot threaten an advancing battleship with a surprise torpedo salvo or use torpedoes to force an enemy away from an island. Instead, the guns have to perform both the damage-dealing and area-control roles. This makes selecting favorable firing positions particularly important.
Smoke Generator provides the concealment necessary to exploit the gun battery. Friesland/Groningen can establish a firing position, activate Smoke and maintain sustained fire without immediately becoming exposed to every enemy ship in range. The long duration of the smoke is particularly useful when farming larger ships or defending an objective.
Hydroacoustic Search is what makes the ship especially dangerous at close range. With a 5 km Hydro, Friesland/Groningen can detect ships attempting to approach through Smoke and provides additional warning against torpedoes. This combination makes the ship highly effective around islands and capture points, where enemy destroyers have fewer options for maintaining distance.
The main weakness is speed. Friesland/Groningen cannot relocate as quickly as many other Tier IX destroyers, and this makes poor positioning much harder to correct. Plan your route before committing to an area and avoid moving into situations where the ship will need to escape quickly. The guns are powerful, but they cannot compensate for being trapped on the wrong side of the map.
This is also why the ship benefits from fighting in areas where her consumables can be exploited. Islands can provide protection while Smoke establishes a firing position, and Hydro can prevent enemy destroyers from safely pushing into the area. Once the engagement begins, the exceptional DPM can quickly turn even a small positional advantage into meaningful damage.
For players who want more utility, Superintendent can replace BFT to provide an additional Smoke Generator charge. This is particularly useful in longer battles where the ability to repeatedly establish concealed firing positions is more valuable than the additional damage contribution from BFT.
The captain choice does not fundamentally change the recommended setup. Both Janssen and De Ruyter can use the same gunboat build because Demolition Expert does not provide a significant enough fire-chance improvement to justify restructuring the build around the commander.
Friesland/Groningen is therefore best suited to players who enjoy a pure DD gunboat experience. The ship gives up two major destroyer tools—torpedoes and speed—but compensates with outstanding gun DPM, Smoke and Hydro. Used from carefully selected positions, this combination allows the ship to dominate close-range engagements and continuously punish enemy ships that remain within gun range.
For players looking for a dedicated gunboat from the Coal category, Friesland/Groningen is an excellent choice. The gameplay is highly specialized, but that specialization is also its greatest strength: when the ship gets into a favorable position, few destroyers can match the volume of fire she can produce.