Destroyer - Pan-Asia Tier VIII Fenyang - Captain & Gunboat Build
- Build focus: A modified gunboat build designed around Fenyang's improved AP shells and close-to-mid range gun performance.
- Playstyle: Fenyang is an AP-focused gunboat that excels against destroyers and cruisers while using deepwater torpedoes to threaten larger ships.
- AP shells: Improved AP penetration angles of 60°-68° make Fenyang particularly effective against lightly and moderately armored targets.
- IFHE: IFHE is mandatory because Fenyang's HE shells cannot penetrate destroyer plating by default.
- Heavy AP: Extra Heavy AP is taken to maximize the effectiveness of Fenyang's improved AP shells.
- Range option: If additional firing range is required, BFT and Heavy AP can be replaced with AFT.
- Torpedoes: Deepwater torpedoes provide Fenyang with a useful weapon against larger ships while the guns remain the primary source of damage against lighter targets.
- Upgrade: If Engine Boost Mod is unavailable, use Engine Room Protection instead.
- Applies to: VIII Fenyang.
Fenyang is a specialized Pan-Asian destroyer that rewards players who understand when to use AP rather than defaulting to HE. Her improved AP characteristics give the ship a particularly strong weapon against targets that would normally be difficult for a destroyer-caliber gun battery to punish consistently.
Historically, Fenyang was the Akizuki-class destroyer Yoizuki, which was transferred to the Republic of China Navy as part of Japanese war reparations. In World of Warships, the ship retains the general characteristics of a gun-focused destroyer while adding improved AP performance and deepwater torpedoes to create a distinctly different playstyle.
The defining feature of the guns is the AP penetration angle. With improved angles of 60°-68°, Fenyang can continue scoring penetrating hits against targets that have already started angling against her. This makes the AP particularly dangerous against enemy destroyers and cruisers, where correctly chosen targets can produce much more reliable damage than the ship's weak HE would suggest.
Fenyang should therefore be played primarily as a close- to mid-range AP gunboat. Against enemy destroyers, look for opportunities to maintain AP fire while they maneuver. Against cruisers, broadside sections and lightly protected areas can produce excellent results. The improved AP is not simply a situational alternative to HE; it is the central reason to build and play Fenyang this way.
Against battleships, target selection becomes even more important. AP can be effective when aimed at weaker armored sections such as the bow, stern and superstructure. The objective is to find areas where the shells can penetrate consistently rather than firing AP blindly into heavily armored belts. HE should mainly be used when the target is sufficiently bow-in that AP is no longer producing useful results and there is no better target available.
IFHE is mandatory for this setup. Fenyang's HE shells lack the penetration needed to reliably damage destroyer plating by default, which severely limits the usefulness of relying on HE for conventional gunboat engagements. IFHE addresses this weakness and gives the HE ammunition a more practical role when AP is not the appropriate choice.
The captain build also takes Extra Heavy AP to capitalize on Fenyang's strongest characteristic rather than trying to turn her into a conventional HE damage dealer. Players who regularly find themselves limited by firing range can instead replace BFT and Heavy AP with AFT, trading some of the specialized AP-focused setup for additional engagement distance.
Fenyang's deepwater torpedoes provide a complementary threat against larger ships. They allow the destroyer to contribute meaningful pressure while repositioning between gun engagements, particularly when battleships and cruisers are moving predictably. The torpedoes should complement the AP-focused gunplay rather than replacing it as the primary weapon.
The biggest limitation of the ship is its slow top speed, combined with relatively poor HE performance. Fenyang cannot rely on speed to dictate every engagement, so committing to the correct range and choosing favorable targets before opening fire is important. Avoid situations where the ship has to chase faster destroyers or disengage from a fight it cannot control.
The result is a destroyer that rewards deliberate target selection and ammunition choice. Use AP aggressively against lightly armored sections, exploit the improved penetration angles, and switch to HE only when AP is no longer the better option. With the right positioning, Fenyang can pressure destroyers and cruisers at close to medium range while still using her deepwater torpedoes to threaten larger ships.