AbyssalKageryu World of Warships Blitz Review: Tier III Premium Cruiser IRN Aurora



Greetings everyone, this is your favourite noob player AbyssalKageryu with another special review. Last time we went over the Japanese Tier II Battleship Mikasa. This time, we will be looking at another ship of the same era: the Russian Tier III premium cruiser IRN Aurora. This ship was given out as a reward for playing the game prior to global release and for those who pre-registered, along with free historic camo. Like last time, I will be ripping of LittleWhiteMouse’s style of reviewing ships and hope someone will notice the similarities and get a good laugh at it.

To start off: a history recap on the Aurora’s services.

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History:

The Aurora is a Pallada class protected cruiser built by the Russian navy. She served during the Russo Japanese war and participated in the Battle of Tsushima alongside the rest of the Russian Baltic Fleet, being one of the few ships to make it past the Japanese fleet and was interned in Manila by the US until the end of the war. During World War I she served as a training ship and took part in the October Revolution. On the 7th November she fired the shots to signal the assault on the Winter Palace and afterwards was placed in reserve. During World War Two her guns were taken off to be used in the defence of Leningrad and after being bombed multiple times she was sunk in Harbour. After extensive repairs after the war, Aurora was permanently anchored at St. Petersburg as a monument to the revolution and in 1957 she became a museum ship though to this day still has an active crew on board. Alongside Mikasa, she is one of two ships to survive Tsushima and the only Russian ship to survive to this day. She also claims fame to being the oldest ship in commission in the Russian Navy.

TLDR Version: Lots of Historic Importance, if you haven’t read her history go to gulag.





Simple Overview

Closest In-game Contemporary: Bogatyr

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

Both these cruisers share many similarities between the two. Both have similar main guns and can fire powerful broadsides at long range, both are vulnerable to air attack and both are not very tanky so they must try to stay away from bigger enemy ships. Bogatyr however has a slightly more powerful broadside in exchange for less guns overall, has a secondary armament and is slightly faster than the Aurora. But aside from these differences both the Bogatyr and Aurora are very similar vessels that play pretty much the same.

The Good

Lots of 152 mm guns perfect for spamming at ranges

Good firing arcs on the guns particularly at the rear meaning she can wiggle her way while still dishing out good damage.

Good rate of fire allowing you to spam a lot of shells against enemy ships and potentially set many fires

Better range than most of her contemporaries allowing her to fire off first and to engage enemy battleships at distance rather than up close.

Very good turning abilities which can help to dodge enemy shell fire and torpedoes.



The Bad

Terrible durability compare to the St Louis leaving you vulnerable to shots from enemy battleships.

The ability to see Tier IV cruisers which will eat you for breakfast if you let them get in close to you and they can get close to you.

AP shells will not be effective against the battleships you will face

HE rounds do not have the same high fire chance as the guns on higher tier Russian cruisers

Turret traverse speeds are on the lower end meaning you will often out turn your guns if you are pulling hard maneuvers and the guns are not already locked on target.



The Ugly

Lack of secondaries means you are vulnerable against ships at close range.

Less than average speed for a cruiser at her tier which leaves you unable to catch up to much.

Poor AA which leaves you at the mercy of enemy aircraft.

Nothing unique about this ship compare to the St Louis and the Bogatyr meaning there is no reason to keep her in terms of gameplay since there are other ships available of the same gameplay if not slightly better.

No torpedoes leaves you lacking in massive alpha striking compare to a ship like the Tenryu.



Now, on to the Review!!!

Firepower:

The Aurora is normal for Tier III cruisers in that she has a lot of fast firing guns most of which are on the broadside of the ship. She is armed with 14 152 mm guns of which 7 can be fired at a broadside. The firing arcs of the guns are really good, allowing you to fire most of your broadside while not presenting the enemy with that big of a target. She also has superior range compared to most cruisers of the same tier which allows her to fire on enemy targets from distance which gives you time to dodge the enemy attack on you. Her guns fast rate of fire is hampered by the lack of good fire chance on the HE shells and the ineffectiveness of the AP against battleship armour at least close up. But with the high rate of fire, if you fail the first time just have another go and hope for better results. And with the damage that the guns can deal comparable to other cruisers of her tier, she is a powerful long range fighter. Also, the fact you have lots of guns on the broadside means you can switch sides and begin firing at enemy ships on the other side of the ship with many guns already there. An interesting quirk of the Aurora’s guns is that her forward and aft guns have 360 degree traverse, meaning your guns can turn 360 degrees. This can allow you to reduce the time needed for these guns to target another enemy ship on the opposite side and make up for the lacking traverse speed of the turrets.

Of course, being at the low end of the tiers, the battles generally get in close and here the biggest weakness in terms of firepower is the lack of secondaries compared to the Bogatyr and the St Louis meaning she is one the few non-Tier I cruisers unable to fire secondaries or torpedoes. Of course, in a long range fight the lack of secondaries is not a massive issue but up close can be quite the help against enemy destroyers that are charging towards you. This lack of secondaries also limits the amount of potential fires Aurora can set and how fast she can set them which in turn limits the amount of damage that the Aurora can deal. Lacking torpedoes can also be a problem in situations since you lack a way to deal massive damage at close range in a short period of time which in turn leaves you vulnerable to battleships with their thick armour and powerful guns. The biggest issue with the guns however is that the traverse speed is not nearly as good as the that of the St Louis. This means that in sharp turns you can actually outturn your guns if they are not pointing exactly where you need them to be. If they are however, you can still keep all guns bearing on the enemy.

Overall, the Aurora has standard artillery power compared to other cruisers of her tier and far superior firepower to any cruiser below her. In order to maximise her long range capabilities and to ensure that her lack of secondaries is not going to affect you too much, keeping the distance from your opponents, especially enemy battleships, will be the best situations for the Aurora. As long as you keep the distance and stay out of secondary range, the differences in terms of firepower between you and the St Louis and Bogatyr will not be anything game breaking.





Durability:

Aurora is not a tanky ship by any stretch of the imagination. Her armour may be enough so that cruisers of the same tier can’t one shot you with their guns but it will not do anything to save you from battleship firepower or agianst mass fire from multiple enemy cruisers and destroyers. You best defence is to keep moving and turning to make it hard for the enemy to aim at you with big guns.

With your gun firing arcs, this can be achieved while still being about the fire a large amount of your guns. Moving and providing the smallest amount of ship to shoot at will help you survive enemy attacks long enough for you to run into ally ships and wither down the enemy ships’ HP.





Manoeuvrability:

In terms of agility, the Aurora sits on the lower end. Her speed which fully spec can reach just above 22 knots, which is only on par with that of the St Louis. It is slightly worse than the Bogatyr, a chunk worse than the Kolberg and the Tenryu will leave you in the dust, though to be fair she is more pseudo-destroyer and leaves all Tier III cruisers in the dust anyways. In that regard, you are not alone. The only cruiser the Aurora can outspeed is the Katori which can only lumber around at 19.3 knots (so I guess in that sense Aurora is the best Tier III Premium cruiser. Because seriously, with atrocious stats like that, why did they make Katori a Tier III when she could easily fit as a Tier II instead). What this low speed means however is that you are unable to keep up with destroyers and the only things you can outrun are the battleships (which we all know are floating bricks). On the plus side, you are quite agile in the turn with your great turning speed and you can be quite a difficult target if you are constantly zig zagging. Use of this agility to make up for your lack of speed, as well as lack of meaningful armour protection, will be important in being able to keep being alive while firing off as many guns as possible.





Anti-Aircraft Defense:

The Aurora has some AA guns, but they will not save you from any air attack. And you will start seeing carriers at Tier III so pray they don’t target you because you will crumble hard at their lack of any mercy because otherwise you will have to rely on your agility in order to avoid enemy torpedo bombers. Just as well no other ship at this tier has any AA worth speaking of, if they have any AA at all (I’m looking at you St Louis) so this is not a problem that the Aurora will suffer alone.





Concealment:

As a cruiser, Aurora’s concealment is again average. There is nothing special to talk about her concealment other than the fact it is higher than a destroyer but lower than a battleship. It unlikely you will stay hidden for any good period of time once you start engaging the enemy. And couped with her lower speed it is unlikely you will be able to run away from any other cruiser or destroyer that is dedicated to sink you. But at least when you stop firing your guns your detection range is less than your gun range so you can somewhat hide if the enemy isn’t committed in chasing you down.





How to Play:

Playing the Aurora at her best is not that much different compared to the St Louis and Bogatyr. Your range and mass number of guns are best used for staying far away from the enemy and peppering them with fire. It will also help you avoid torpedoes from enemy cruisers and destroyers. If against enemy cruisers, AP is your best hope since it does the most damage and you can penetrate their armour. Use of AP is also viable against destroyers, though be prepared for when your shots over penetrate and do not do full damage. In those situation, along with any situation involving a battleship, the use of HE is best since you can deal consistent and sure damage with the added chance of setting fires with your shells.

If you are not chasing your enemy, always be on the move and zig zag yourself while you fire your guns. This will make it harder for the enemy to hit you and thus increase your chance of surviving against mass enemy fire plus you have the agility to do so thanks to your small turning time. However, you may out turn your guns if you constantly move around. In these cases you may have to wait a little bit until your guns can align and target whatever it is you are shooting.



In a Tier IV match, you will be up against cruisers with better guns than you, torpedoes which can ruin your day and more importantly are faster than you. The only cruisers that doesn’t have superior guns to you are the Kuma and Yubari. But both of these cruisers have powerful torpedoes for use against battleships and are way faster than you will ever be. Battleships are only a bit better compared to Tier III battleships but that still means your greatest enemy has just gotten even deadlier. In the chase with Ishizuchi, you now have a battleship that can outrun you which is not a good thing to have. In such a match, or a match where the enemy team has a lot of battleships, stick close to your battleship allies and have them tank damage from the enemy while you support them with rapid fire. Just hope that the enemy doesn’t switch to you or you will face a quick trip to the Port.





Recommended Build:

Since you have it for free, equip the Historic Camouflage. Not only it looks cool, it also help boost your defence against shells and torpedoes by that extra bit. Once you have done that, for Elite Ship Bonuses, the best option is the Improved Main Armoured Belt to improve you durability against enemy shells. For Equipment, take Main Battery Modification I to improve the traverse speed of you guns since you will be moving a lot and you want your guns to be able to keep up. Next, take Steering Gear Modification I to help improve your agility which will help you dodge enemy fire. Alternatively, if you are finding your guns are getting knocked out a lot of the time, taking Armament Modification II to help reduce repair time to your main guns Is a solid option. Finally, take Propulsion Modification II to help boost your speed by a little bit in order to help against enemy cruisers and battleships. Alternatively, Armaments Modification I is a decent choice if you want to improve the survivability of your main guns and keep them from being knocked out.





Overall Impressions:

Aurora is just your average Tier III cruiser in terms of firepower, speed, armour and playstyle. Players who want to play the Aurora for the playstyle can get the Bogatyr or St Louis and they will have an experience pretty much the same. In fact, you might prefer the latter two as both have secondaries, Bogatyr is faster and St Louis is tankier than Aurora.

That said, this doesn’t mean the Aurora isn’t a bad ship. Being similar to these powerful cruisers is not something to be ashamed of. She keeps the main thing that makes all these cruisers so much fun: fast firing, powerful and numerous 152 mm guns that will set fires to battleships and rekt any destroyer that stays in range for too long. She is a solid ship that can cause the enemy a lot of troubles if played correctly. Being only slightly worse than good cruisers still mean you are good, and even then you do have some strengths compared to them namely agility and range.

Aurora is a fine ship, and playing her can be quite a joy, but the incentive to keep her compared to something like Mikasa is not as great as Mikasa has such a unique playstyle that no other ship has. Aurora however is not unique and there are many ships out there that have the same playstyle as Aurora. Despite this, she is still a fine ship to have and use in battle, especially since she was given free alongside permanent camouflage which looks pretty good. She is more than capable of holding her own in battle and able to fight alongside her tech tree counterparts. If you have her, take her out for a spin once in a while and earn a few extra credits.





Should you Get it?

Aurora cannot be bought in the store or earned through events as of right now. The only way to get her was from pre-registering for World of Warships Blitz. That said, should you keep your Aurora with her free premium camo or sell her for the same price of a Tier IV ship and get the extra port slot?

For Co-op Battles:

Against the bots, Aurora is overall an average pick. If you can set fires on enemy ships, do so and rack up quite a bit of damage. Otherwise, stick to using AP against enemy cruisers and destroyers. Just be aware that Co-op doesn’t give as much credits as Random so if you do high damage, you won’t be as well rewarded. Still, if you want to just kill a lot of bots, then Aurora can do the job.



For Random Battles:

In the Random environment, Aurora is a solid pick. Her rapid firing guns are a great way to deal consistent damage against any kind of ship. You will be dangerous to destroyers and cruisers will have to notice you or they will get withered down. Battleships however will cause you some pain and unless you can dodge their shells or keep them distracted by an allied ship, you will take massive amounts of damage from their big guns.



For Competitive Play:

While Aurora is not a terrible ship for a competitive environment, she is not the optional choice for ships. Both the St Louis and the Bogatyr can do the same job as Aurora and more thanks to their secondary armament, St Louis’ armour and Bogatyr’s extra speed. Aurora is left behind a bit in this regard. In short, there are many choices that are better for a Tier III cruiser. But if only have Aurora, and you want a cruiser with lots of guns to bring onto the enemy, she is still a capable ship and not the worst substitution out there.



For Collectors:

ABSOLUTELY YES, YES, YES! This is the Aurora for crying out loud! One of the most famous ships in the Russian Navy and with such an important place in naval history for Russia. So, yes, if you are a collector, keep her!



For Fun Factor:

There is something fun about just lazily firing lots and lots of shells at the enemy and setting lots of fires as well as annoying battleships. If this is the type of playstyle you like, Aurora is a good ship. If you prefer torpedoing your opponents to death, the best cruiser to get would be the Tenryu (aka the only non-premium cruiser at Tier III armed with torpedoes)



Final Rating:

Like last time, 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.





















































AN: Admittedly, this ship is somewhere in between AOBABOATE and MYOKOBOATE. While her turning is better than most cruisers of her tier, the thing that keeps her down is the fact that she is so similar to other ships of her tier and is thus just average and not something spectacular. Still a capable ship though.

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