Yukon Review
Yukon - Review and analysis
Yukon is a Tier 7 commonwealth premium battleship. She is a fictional sister of the already fictional HMS Monarch, but one tier lower with several stat changes. Yukon plays little like her sister, opting for a much more evasion focused playstyle.
DIFFICULTY: Challenging
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: Fairly high
In skilled hands, how much damage output or game influence can this ship exert?
Suggested Equipment:
Slot one: Reload (-5%) OR Turret traverse (+20%) **Only use turret traverse if you absolutely cannot function without it.
Slot two: Acceleration (+20%)
Slot three: Concealment (+10%)
Elite bonus: Elite gun operator.
Yukon has very slow turret traverse, which will tempt many players to use turret traverse equipment and the "advanced turret" elite bonus. However, slow turrets are easily negated by pre-rotating and turning the ship, and Yukon boasts a good rudder response. Direct increases in DPM are preferable to turret traverse, so only use these if you absolutely cannot function without them.
Firepower
Yukon's gunnery is a very mixed bag. She has a respectable broadside weight of 9x 381mm guns, boasting fairly good dispersion and notably an elevated citadel chance. On the downside, she has one of the shortest gun ranges in her matchmaking spread as well as low pen retention, meaning she struggles to perform well in long-range engagement. This is going to be a turn-off for many players, as Yukon will not be able to exploit her high citadel chance and good damage output in standard BB engagements.
Yukon also boasts four charges of the spotter plane consumable, which temporarily undoes her firing range deficit. The consumable has two primary uses in this ship: Getting that extra bit of range to engage a low health target, or using the elevated view to more easily shoot over islands. I do not suggest using this consumable right at the start of a match- opening fire at maximum range will blow your cover, and your gun performance at long range isn't good to begin with. Stay concealed for that extra few seconds at the start of a match, and you'll be rewarded.
Making maximum use of Yukon's guns requires pushing into medium range. At 10km and below, her performance goes from mediocre to very punchy. Her shell damages and overall broadside weight are fairly good, but Yukon seems to also boast elevated citadel chance. Provided you're hitting the decks and turrets of battleships, Yukon hands out a lot of citadels even without APCS. Use your concealment to reach medium range, and you'll enjoy consistent and high damage output. In prolonged, distant engagements, things are much more difficult.
Protection:
If the weird gunnery didn't give it away, Yukon doesn't play like a standard battleship. This is further evidenced in her poor armour protection. Yukon boasts an average HP pool for her tier, and a fairly thick armour belt too. This is essentially where the upsides end, as the ship suffers from a very thin deck and low damage reduction values.
This will prove challenging for many players- the guns demand you get close, but the ship doesn't tank very well. Yukon takes very heavy damage when under fire from enemy capital ships, particularly if they are hitting her deck. To try minimising damage taken, Yukon should attempt to bait shots into her belt- this will halve, or entirely negate the damage of shells that strike here. Under fire from a battleship, Yukon should usually kite around, playing with her rudder and attempting to evade or tank shots with her belt armour. Try not to remain still, as you will not hold up well.
Evasion:
Yukon's evasion is her strong suit, and it comes to dominate her playstyle. Her turning circle and acceleration stats are just average, but Yukon stands out in two areas, rudder shift and concealment. The rudder shift is a very comfortable 10 seconds, one of the best response times for a battleship at her tier. This greatly aids in avoiding torpedoes, and is helpful while kiting enemy warships or swinging your own guns on target.
Concealment, however, is Yukon's penultimate feature. Yukon isn't just the stealthiest battleship at her tier, she's one of the stealthiest in her entire matchmaking spread. Outspotting even Repulse, Yukon is second only to Andrea Doria in concealment with a base value of 9.6 km. Concealment equipment is a must-have on this ship, lowering it to 8.64 km. Concealment supplies are also a must-have further reducing her detection range to roughly 8.3 km. This allows Yukon to engage enemy cruisers at an uncomfortably close range, where she can make full use of her punchy guns. Use your stealth to get in close, then use the rudder to kite away. Repeat this move, and you'll perform well.
Concealment has the added bonus of making it easy to disengage from trouble. Yukon has a very large window to escape from trouble, so hold your fire and bug out if caught in prolonged focus fire. It isn't hard to escape danger with concealment, so don't be afraid to stop shooting if necessary.
Anti-Air:
Yukon's AA defence is nothing more than decent for T7 standards, and that's a low bar to set. While her raw damage output is on the higher end for the tier, the lack of DFAA and horrible range prevents her from being a threat to CVs.
Mid-tier battleship AA being inadequate is nothing new, so don't think too much about it. Just hope the CV looks somewhere else, and do the best you can.
Final Thoughts:
Yukon is a good ship with a niche gimmick. This is NOT a conventional battleship, so trying to play her like one will yield mediocre results at best. Yukon lives off of the evasion focused, almost cruiser-esque playstyle. Using stealth to reach optimal positions, dealing high damage, and using agility with concealment to get away. If you like this style, you will have great fun in Yukon.
I am once again reiterating this: evasion defines this ship's playstyle. 50 steel is a high price for a T7 battleship, so if you seek a more conventional BB, look elsewhere. However, if concealment is your game, I highly recommend this ship.
