Vanguard Review
VANGUARD - Review and analysis
HMS Vanguard is a Tier 8 Royal Navy premium battleship. She outwardly seems like an evolution of Warspite and Hood, packing eight 381mm guns in a 4x2 layout. At first glance, this isn't an inspiring package, but she comes with several surprising elements that keep her relevant at T8.
DIFFICULTY: Fairly easy
How hard is it to stay afloat and perform decently well in this ship?
EFFORT REQUIREMENT: Moderate
How much screen-tapping and situational awareness is needed to perform decently well?
POTENTIAL INFLUENCE/OUTPUT: Moderate
In skilled hands, how much damage output or game influence can this ship exert?
Suggested Equipment:
Slot one: Dispersion (-7%)
Slot two: Acceleration (+20%) OR Rudder shift (+10%)
Slot three: Rudder shift (+15%) OR Concealment (+10%)
Bonus: Elite gun operator.
Objectively speaking, the most "meta" Vanguard build runs acceleration and concealment. However, I've opted to use double rudder equipment for reasons I'll explain later.
Firepower
Vanguard essentially has Warspite guns with a pile of comfort improvements. They have a very quick (18.4 second) reload, excellent dispersion, and 2 sigma. Precision is further improved by the three charges of Precise Aim II, and Vanguard reloads fast enough to fire two salvos per charge. Her turrets also have fast traverse speed, which is a welcome improvement after the glacial traverse speed of Warspite.
However, these are still Warspite guns. They are extremely comfortable and very consistent, but raw output is lacking. Vanguard's broadside weight is on the low end for T8, and her range is one of the lowest in the tier. This ship can't trade with battleships using firepower alone, abuse of her other strengths are needed to keep up.
Vanguard has HE preloaded at the start of battles. I suspect this is an error on the part of WG, because she is a horrible HE spammer. Low barrel count and mediocre HE performance mean AP is the only viable shell to throw at any non-DD targets. Vanguard's AP shells have low damage, but their penetration is sufficient to deal with contemporaries. She has the precision to hit weakpoints, so take the time to place your shots well- consistency, not raw alpha, is the greatest virtue of these guns.
Protection
Vanguard is remarkably tanky for a British BB. She comes with the standard weak deck that is characteristic of anything British, but her belt armour is quite thick and easily repels enemy shots. Try to bait shots into her belt armour, good use of the rudder facilitates this. Armour aside, Vanguard's other protection stats aren't particularly notable. Her fire resistance, damage reduction values, and citadel protection aren't noteworthy.
However, her HP pool stands out. Vanguard has one of the largest HP pools at T8, breaking well over 50k. With historical camouflage equipped, she boasts 56,880 HP, which is an excellent total. High HP also translates into bigger heals, which further boost survivability. With premium heals, a legendary commander with heal+, and a full HP build, Vanguard has over 90,000 potential HP.
Hitpoints are this ship's main method of tanking, so you want to avoid eating too much damage at once. Push forward, tank some hits, then fall back and heal up. Rinse and repeat to get the most use out of your pool, without being obliterated outright. An upside of this strategy is that it will usually leave Vanguard with a serious HP advantage in the late-game, allowing her to push into brawls and win. Even if you haven't got a maximum-HP setup, basic heal management will allow Vanguard to live much longer than her contemporaries.
Evasion
Vanguard's evasion is thoroughly good, with one specific stat that shines above all. She is fast at 30 knots, has a quick acceleration time, a solid turning circle, and decent concealment. This ship has no trouble switching flanks, pushing caps, or disengaging from trouble. She also gets a few charges of sonar, allowing for advance warning of torpedoes. However, this advance warning is arguably unneeded, owing to Vanguard's rudder shift.
Vanguard responds like a cruiser. In fact, she responds better than a lot of cruisers. Her stock rudder shift is excellent for a battleship, and with a full build she can go hard-over in seven seconds. Vanguard can actively respond to incoming shells, allowing you to bait hits into your armour belt or dodge salvos entirely. When engaged in gunnery duels, keep your rudder moving at all times. Combined with her massive HP, this can help Vanguard survive a lot longer than she otherwise should.
Practicality aside, Vanguard's evasion is comfortable. The ship suffers from bad firing angles, but you never really feel them because she can swing around so fast. You don't feel slow and vulnerable when pushing into combat. Her snappy response times are unique, satisfying, and useful. Overall, I would say this is the most fun element of Vanguard.
Anti-Air
Vanguard's AA battery deals rather high damage for the tier, only behind Constellation and Massachusetts. The majority of this damage is concentrated in the short-range mounts though, meaning she won't be repelling strikes- just claiming plane kills after being hit.
The Great British AA buff™ brought Vanguard's AA damage comfortably into high levels.
Against certain Tier 7 carriers, Vanguard can realistically deplane them if repeatedly attacked. However, she will not do this to higher tier CVs, and will not prevent them from attacking to begin with. She can afford to take a few CV strikes thanks to her large HP pool, but will eventually melt under their focus. Vanguard's best defence against CVs is to lay low, and hope they attack something else.
Final Evaluation
This is a good ship. Owing to her good stat setup and extremely high consistency, she can hold her own at T8 despite low raw damage output. Vanguard won't be pulling massive damage numbers very often, but she can consistently pull good damage numbers and that's more than enough.
Vanguard is designed to be fun. She covers up her weaknesses with a wall of comforts, which makes her extremely satisfying to play. Her response times are excellent, her turret handling is comfortable, her gunnery is consistent and pleasant. Some battleships feel punishing to play, but Vanguard is not one of them. This is not a meta ship, but she will give you a damn good time anyway.
