AbyssalKageryu World of Warships Blitz Review: Tier II Premium Battleship IJN Mikasa



Greetings everyone, this is your favourite noob player AbyssalKageryu with a special review. Today, we will be taking a look at the only Tier II battleship in World of Warships Blitz right now: The Japanese IJN Mikasa (or HMIJS Mikasa if that is how you want to say it). She is unique in many ways: her gameplay is not like any other battleship in the game and her placement in the game is also special. Whether that makes her a good ship is up for debate. Hopefully by the end of this review you can form your own opinions on the Mikasa. And for this review, I’ve decided to rip off famous World of Warships ship review LittleWhiteMouse and follow her format of review a ship. Why? Because she is awesome, her reviews are awesome and I cannot be stuffed making up my own style. So, let’s get to it.



First off: a little history lesson.

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History:

The Mikasa was a Pre-Dreadnought battleship built for the Japanese Navy by Britain. Her design was based on the Magnetic class of battleships with a few minor improvements. She was the flagship of the Japanese Admiral Heihachiro Togo during the Battle of Port Arthur, Yellow Sea and famously Tsushima. During these battles Mikasa was hit many times but survived each encounter. After the war she was sunk by a magazine explosion but was raised and repaired soon after. But by this time she would be surpassed by dreadnought battleships that left her obsolete. Despite this, she served as a coastal battleship during World War 1 and was allowed to be kept as a museum ship. Restored after World War 2, the Mikasa is famous for being the only remaining pre dreadnought battleship in the world and is one of only two ships surviving today that took place in the Battle of Tsushima with the other being the Aurora of the Russian Navy.

TLDR Version: Lots of Historic Importance, shut up and read your history.





Simple Overview

Closest In-game Contemporary: South Carolina

Degree of Similarity: Clone / Sister-Ship / Related Class / Similar Role / Unique

Unique is certainly a way to describe the Mikasa. The only things she shares with South Carolina is similar HP, same caliber main guns, similar secondaries and similar speed. But that is where the similarities end: while South Carolina is a true fledged battleship in terms of gameplay, Mikasa is her own beast focusing more on secondaries and close range combat instead of delivering massive broadsides against enemy targets.



The Good

Powerful Secondaries that can lay the hurt on enemy cruisers and destroyers

Large Caliber Main Guns that can cause serious damage per shell

The best durability of Tier II and can take many hits

Tier II meaning you will face mostly cruisers and destroyers

The best camo for any Japanese battleship making her look really nice

The Bad

Low number of Main Guns meaning you will struggle to land many hits onto enemy ships

Battleship dispersion meaning you will struggle to hit anything at range

Bad firing arcs limits how you can fire all your main guns at an enemy ship

Slow Speed which can leave you behind and make it difficult to escape unfavourable situations

Reliance on teammates who at this tier can range from noob to average which can leave you at the mercy of multiple enemy *ships at once

Torpedoes will leave you dead after a few good runs by destroyers

The Ugly

Short Range of Secondaries which limits the effective range you can engage the enemy

Lack of Anti-Aircraft guns at a tier where unless you fail team you will never see any aircraft

Turret Traverse Speed which can make it difficult to respond to a threat on the other side of your guns

HE Spam that will burn through all your heals and damage controls

Noob Players which can either make easy pickings for your guns or terrible teammates



Now, on to the Review!!!

Firepower:

If you are buying the Mikasa for her main guns, you will be disappointed beyond belief. Let us start with what is good about them. Being 305 mm guns, they have powerful ships that can do massive damage. Particularly her HE shells which you will use very often in the Mikasa against Tier I and II enemies. These are ships that have so little armour that AP shells would most likely go straight through and cause little damage to the enemy at range. But at the same time their armour is so low that your HE shells can actually citadel enemy cruisers and cause double damage. And at close ranges your AP can cause maximum damage to cruisers which will leave them with less health than before. Also, being battleship guns, their range is longer than that of cruisers of the same tier meaning you can be the first to shoot off while your enemy has to close to distance before they can fire back with any of their guns.

Where Mikasa’s main guns fall short is everywhere else. You only have 4 of these big guns and they take a long time to reload and a long time to turn 180 degrees. This limits how many shells you can hit your target with and thus the damage you can deal with. Battleships are known for bringing lots of big guns to bear and firing massive broadsides of powerful AP rounds. Mikasa cannot do any of that with her limited firepower based on her historic design Philosophy with had only a few big guns and lots of smaller guns. This weakness is most apparent against Tier III battleships that have double the firepower you have. Even against Tier III cruisers you will struggle to out damage them at range, even if your AP rounds can damage battleships and cruisers. Another terrible attribute of her main guns is the poor firing arcs of them meaning you have to turn a full broadside in order to fire all 4 guns. This can leave you vulnerable to enemy shell fire, especially Tier III battleships which will tear you apart unless they are distracted by something else. Because of all these factors, long range engagements will not end well for Mikasa any day of the week.

It is at short ranges that Mikasa can shine, not just because you are more likely to hit your target. Remember how I said her design Philosophy had a lot of smaller guns? Well, Mikasa’s secondary firepower is nothing short of impressive for Tier II. It is basically the equivalent of having a Chikuma strapped to each side of the ship. Their power is only increased by the fact that because this is World of Warships Blitz, you can fire the secondaries manually. Often times you will fire your man guns and then switch to your secondaries to deal more damage and to set fires. The only limiting factors of the Mikasa’s secondaries are their low rate of fire, short range and inaccuracy which will limit the effective fire you can bear on the enemy target. Despite this, they can still deal massive damage thanks to being 152 mm in caliber and with firepower that can match the cruisers at this tier you will find them a major source of damage.





Durability:

Being a battleship, Mikasa is a tanky ship compare to other ships at her tier. In fact, her HP is similar to that of the Tier III battleship South Carolina. And with her armour protection, she can withstand multiple hits from enemy ships and still keep on going. Her tankiness allows her to get in close with enemy cruisers and get into ranges where her secondaries can be effective and do the maximum damage to enemy ships. Of course, her armour will not save her from fires as many ships at Tier I-II will fire HE at you which will set you on fire a lot of times and HE rounds will slowly wither down your HP over time if under sustained enemy fire which you will be exposed to. Another thing about MIkasa is that even with her durability she is very vulnerable to mass torpedo attacks from enemy destroyers where due to your close range will easily hit you. This is most apparent when considering her other great weakness...





Manoeuvrability:

As a battleship, your speed compare to other ships is pitiful. A top speed of around 18 knots means you will either be left behind while your teammates run off or you will be left unable to escape from unfavourable positions. Her small size however does mean she can turn well but it will not save you from point blank range torpedoes. Her low speed also means it is difficult to get into secondary range where a lot of your damage comes from. Be ready to expect lots of slow travelling towards your target and be ready to commit to one side on the map and push hard because there is no turning back for you. All least Mikasa is eye candy so you can admire your ship while you are sailing around.





Anti-Aircraft Defense:

Hahaha. No. Mikasa has no AA guns to speak off. I mean seriously, no AA guns whatsoever so you are at the mercy on any plane you meet. Despite this, it isn’t really a problem since you are never going to face aircraft carriers in battle unless you fail division with a Tier III teammate. So this weakness is really...not much if you think about it.





Concealment:

She’s a battleship. Stealthy she won’t be. This can leave you vulnerable to long range HE spam from multiple enemy cruisers which can ruin your day pretty quickly. Simple as that. Nothing exceptional here except that you will be taking lots of hits from pretty much everyone on the enemy team if they have half a brain left.





How to Play:

Playing the Mikasa is a game of extremes. You have to get in close ranges with the enemy despite your slow speed and then pummel them with as many shells as you can fire into them. Make sure to have your heal and damage control commusables at the ready to heal up and put out flooding and fires. Your favourite targets at Tier I-II are the cruisers: your secondaries are comparable to their mains and your mains can deal some serious damage towards them. Plus, you easily out-tank any tier Tier II cruiser so use that to your advantage. However, if possible, avoid getting into fights with three or more ships since you will have a hard time dealing with their combined power. Also distance is your best friend against destroyers since if you allow them to get too close they will tear you apart with their torpedoes.

In a Tier III match, you will be relegated to a similar role as the St Louis and you will have to engage only cruisers one on one since they have a lot of firepower to your massive HP. Battleships at Tier III will destroy you so make sure to avoid them if possible and if you are to engage them, do so while they are distracted by an allied battleship. In any case, stay close to your teammates so that they can support you and you can support them: dealing damage and tanking while they help you kill enemy cruisers and destroyers.





Recommended Build:

If you have the Gold to spend, get the permanent camouflage which will buff your HP and the accuracy of your guns which can help you big time. For your Elite skill Elite Gun Operator is the best option since it will help with your turret traverse and reload speed. For Equipment, the recommended build is Aiming Systems Modification I to further buff your traverse speed on both your main and secondary guns, then Damage Control Systems Mod I to help better deal with two big banes of Mikasa; fire and flooding, and finally Propulsion Modification II to increase your speed by a bit. Alternatively you can pick Main Battery Mod II instead of Aiming Systems to increase the reload of your guns even more and then Armament Modification I to help make your secondaries more survivable.





Overall Impressions:

Mikasa can be best described as a world of extremes. Extremely slow speed, extremely tanky, extremely horrible main guns, extremely good secondaries, extremely bad at long range, extremely good at short range, extremely bad when bottom tier and extremely deadly when facing ships below her tier. In battles where her weaknesses become apparent she will be not an enjoyable nor good ship. When she bring her strengths into battle however, she can be quite fun and very powerful. Her performance can be inconsistent at times due to the nature of low tier player teammates and match making.

Mikasa is not for people who want a consistently good ship to play nor is she a good credit earner thanks to her placement at low tier. Her main role is to provide a unique gameplay style for battleships and to have fun against low tier ships. She will not be there to help you grind the credits needed for higher tier ships nor to help boost your winrate. She is there to have fun and to enjoy something different.

I like my Mikasa, but I know she is not to everyone’s tastes. I have a thing for unique ships with unique strengths. On its own, it is not the ideal ship, but together with teammates, she can be quite a lot of fun.





Should you Get it?

It is not possible to currently buy the Mikasa from the store. WG has removed her from the store due to complaints about her being unbalanced or weak. The only way to get her is through special events that happen very rarely so don't expect to see many Mikasas in your lifetime. That said, is she worth keeping or just sell her for the extra port slot and extra credits that can earn you a Tier IV ship?

For Co-op Battles:

Mikasa can be fun against bots. They are generally stupid and will allow you to close the distance so that you can engage them with your secondaries. The only problem with playing Co-op is the lower credit income but if you can do enough damage and sink enough ships you can still make about 2000 or so credits on a win. Not enough to be economically viable compare to most other methods but still an option if that is what you desire.

For Random Battles:

Against enemy ships in Random, Mikasa will not perform well. Tier II is not known for smart players and this can leave you really vulnerable to mass firepower from multiple directions. That said, if your team can support you well you can be a massive contribution to your team by soaking up damage while dealing lots of damage up close. However, if you are causal player, it is better to just play either a destroyer or a cruiser so that you can still perform well enough if your team happens to suck. Mikasa also up tiers really badly, turning into a semi St Louis at Tier III but without long range rapid fire that can hurt battleships who will also be the bane of your existence.

For Competitive Play:

Hahaha. No. This ship will suffer when up against players that have the slightest knowledge of playing the game. If you want a competitive ship at Tier II, play a Chikuma, a Dresden or a Umikaze. They can deal massive damage more consistantly in the hands of even average players.

For Collectors:

...Do I need to fill this section out? Do I? Yes? Okay, here is the answer: she has great historic importance being flagship of Admiral Togo who sailed her in multiple famous battles including Tsushima not to mention she is the only surviving pre dreadnought battleship in the word, is a rare ship due to WG taking her out of the store and only giving her as an event reward so she makes a great collector’s item and is beautiful looking especially with her historic camouflage for only 250 gold.

Short Answer: SHE’S THE -bleepin- MIKASA FOR LORD’S SAKE! YES!

For Fun Factor:

Absolutely. There is something fun about just blasting the enemy ships with secondaries and killing them at close, Plus when you win you will feel even more happy with yourself. Just be wary of terrible teammates which will put a damper on how much fun you can have in the Mikasa. Plus, running a team of 3 Mikasas is so much fun to play with against Tier II cruisers. Try it out someday.

Final Rating:

Instead of an Angry YouTuber’s Review, I will give an Angry Abyssal’s Review. It is like an Angry YouTuber, just 5% more constructive.

LANGLEYPRE0.8.0BOATE: The ship is terrible beyond belief. The ship is in serious needs of buffs to make it even viable in battle. Avoid these ships like the plague and pray you don’t have one on your team.

AOBABOATE: Overall not that inspiring. Clear strengths are there but so are the giant weaknesses. You will be average for your team unless you can pull off some amazing stunt.

MYOKOBOATE: Powerful with good strengths compared to ships of the same tier. These are the ships you want to have and play with and the ships you want on your team.

KONIGSBERGBOATE: These ships are overpowered and need some serious nerfs to make them balanced against ships of the same tier. If you can get one of these, get it and make the enemy weep.























































That is all for today. Thanks for reading and I will see you in other review. This is AbyssalKageryu, signing out.