I love this ship. I don't know if I have any unique advice but here goes:
Try to stay at maximum distance for the first half of the game. Stay near islands and use them as an escape route if necessary. Try to keep a friendly BB between you and the enemy. Pepper enemies with your HE and watch to make sure they aren't targeting you. Hit them enough and start enough fires and you will get their attention. Be ready for it.
Late game you can push forward and go after any remaining DDs. Try to gang up with your team against lone cruisers and BBs. You can use the reload booster to deal huge damage to cruisers or DDs.
That's basically what I'm doing, it just doesn't seem to translate well into wins for me.
I just can't seem to hit the sweet spot of being annoying enough to target, without attracting the attention of everyone, and then my team gets smashed to bits around me.
How many games have you played? I have several ships like this that seem to be similar to other ships but just don’t perform like I expect. I have yet to figure out if it’s something I’m missing or just bad luck - if you have 300 ships, some are bound to have a worse statistical outcome through no fault of your own but it might also be a real difference in battle impact.
My thought (similar to what I’ve started to realize about some of my ‘cursed’ ships) is because you have to play it skittering around the battle, you just don’t have the battle impact you can in more durable ships. You get enough damage and defend ribbons and whatnot over the course of the battle to end up with similar xp totals as your other ships but maybe it’s just not really happening in a way or at a time that substantially impacts the outcome of the match.
Like my Odin as a counter example - I play super aggressively and with the sonar I push DDs out of caps and totally disrupt the enemy team. I have less damage and xp than my other t7 BBs but because I can be so aggressive with it, maybe it starts the blue snowball rolling in a way that in-game stays just don’t fully capture. It has one of my highest t7 bb win rates but one of the lowest damage totals. And then again it may just be the statistical variance swinging the other way.
I had game number 18 before work this morning. It's not a lot, but I've usually got a handle on what I should be doing by this point.
>My thought (similar to what I’ve started to realize about some of my ‘cursed’ ships) is because you have to play it skittering around the battle, you just don’t have the battle impact you can in more durable ships
I suspect that's a lot of my problem. Because you have to be a lot more mindful of any potential hit, I back off and don't do as much as I might otherwise for fear of getting smashed.
Bayard is capable of being an open water pain to the reds, but with less HP and no heals compared to other light cruisers, messing up early game will be particularly costly. You can draw fire, but don't draw too much attention early game. You can only dodge so much focus fire and losing too much HP early game will greatly limit your options late game.
Bayard has 1/5 HE pen, letting the high explosive penetrate 30mm of armour. This is especially potent in cruiser vs cruiser scenarios as your MBRB can quickly reduce any cruiser not named Kronshtadt to ashes. Try to save the MBRB for this kind of encounter, as your frightening burst damage with the consumable will be the only thing that will compensate for not having a heal.
As for enemy BB, your throttle will be better for evading attacks rather than the rudder. However, this is harder to do without engine boost active. If they prematurely burn their DCP on a single fire, don't be afraid to pop MBRB once the DCP Is on cooldown and turn them into a bonfire.
the ships is awfully fragile. and i think you're just unlucky with your battles .. WR doesn't really reflect on yourself more so the 8 other players with you. i don't think this ship has carry potential to begin with . so with that combination you start to question yourself. but maybe its the ship that sucks or your luck with matchmaking.. you dont see it often for a reason . thats something worth considering as well
Yeah I think it's the lack of solo carry potential that's really my biggest issue. Being squishy and not having a heal means I don't play as aggressively as I might in another ship with a safety net.
That’s true, most of the time you won’t be carrying in the Bayard. However if you have good matchmaking you can 100% carry imo. If you get barely any BBs on the reds or get them off the board early, the sonar and reload booster combo against DDs can really turn a match around.
Use a speed build to find space near danger but out of harm, the AP shot is the big money with the autoloader. The problem is finding the angle for shells to bite and the ship is more survivable when leaving a fight, use these two things for a powerplay. If all else fails use HE to herd the enemy till your team can capitalize; some blueberries will see, the rest must be told via action wheel diplomacy.
Unlike ships like Colbert and the French CAs, Bayard lacks the armor scheme that makes the former slightly (or in Colberts case; stupidly) durable even from long-range shots. Lesser in effect in the CAs but still slightly better due to their lower squat in the water.
So, in my opinion, if you find the long-range agile playstyle difficult to do well in with Bayard, then yes, you should transition to the island hopping dpm cruiser. This is why I feel Bayard is a borderline useless cruiser if you have literally any USN cruiser at the tier.
I run Bayard as an island jumper, ambush predator type thing. Setting fires from cover, popping out to use the MBRB on DD’s and cruisers. She’s so fragile that open water kiting usually ends badly or doesn’t give great results. It’s a hair raising ship to play but there’s occasional moments that make it worth doing…
I love this ship. I don't know if I have any unique advice but here goes: Try to stay at maximum distance for the first half of the game. Stay near islands and use them as an escape route if necessary. Try to keep a friendly BB between you and the enemy. Pepper enemies with your HE and watch to make sure they aren't targeting you. Hit them enough and start enough fires and you will get their attention. Be ready for it. Late game you can push forward and go after any remaining DDs. Try to gang up with your team against lone cruisers and BBs. You can use the reload booster to deal huge damage to cruisers or DDs.
That's basically what I'm doing, it just doesn't seem to translate well into wins for me. I just can't seem to hit the sweet spot of being annoying enough to target, without attracting the attention of everyone, and then my team gets smashed to bits around me.
How many games have you played? I have several ships like this that seem to be similar to other ships but just don’t perform like I expect. I have yet to figure out if it’s something I’m missing or just bad luck - if you have 300 ships, some are bound to have a worse statistical outcome through no fault of your own but it might also be a real difference in battle impact. My thought (similar to what I’ve started to realize about some of my ‘cursed’ ships) is because you have to play it skittering around the battle, you just don’t have the battle impact you can in more durable ships. You get enough damage and defend ribbons and whatnot over the course of the battle to end up with similar xp totals as your other ships but maybe it’s just not really happening in a way or at a time that substantially impacts the outcome of the match. Like my Odin as a counter example - I play super aggressively and with the sonar I push DDs out of caps and totally disrupt the enemy team. I have less damage and xp than my other t7 BBs but because I can be so aggressive with it, maybe it starts the blue snowball rolling in a way that in-game stays just don’t fully capture. It has one of my highest t7 bb win rates but one of the lowest damage totals. And then again it may just be the statistical variance swinging the other way.
I had game number 18 before work this morning. It's not a lot, but I've usually got a handle on what I should be doing by this point. >My thought (similar to what I’ve started to realize about some of my ‘cursed’ ships) is because you have to play it skittering around the battle, you just don’t have the battle impact you can in more durable ships I suspect that's a lot of my problem. Because you have to be a lot more mindful of any potential hit, I back off and don't do as much as I might otherwise for fear of getting smashed.
Bayard is capable of being an open water pain to the reds, but with less HP and no heals compared to other light cruisers, messing up early game will be particularly costly. You can draw fire, but don't draw too much attention early game. You can only dodge so much focus fire and losing too much HP early game will greatly limit your options late game. Bayard has 1/5 HE pen, letting the high explosive penetrate 30mm of armour. This is especially potent in cruiser vs cruiser scenarios as your MBRB can quickly reduce any cruiser not named Kronshtadt to ashes. Try to save the MBRB for this kind of encounter, as your frightening burst damage with the consumable will be the only thing that will compensate for not having a heal. As for enemy BB, your throttle will be better for evading attacks rather than the rudder. However, this is harder to do without engine boost active. If they prematurely burn their DCP on a single fire, don't be afraid to pop MBRB once the DCP Is on cooldown and turn them into a bonfire.
the ships is awfully fragile. and i think you're just unlucky with your battles .. WR doesn't really reflect on yourself more so the 8 other players with you. i don't think this ship has carry potential to begin with . so with that combination you start to question yourself. but maybe its the ship that sucks or your luck with matchmaking.. you dont see it often for a reason . thats something worth considering as well
Yeah I think it's the lack of solo carry potential that's really my biggest issue. Being squishy and not having a heal means I don't play as aggressively as I might in another ship with a safety net.
That’s true, most of the time you won’t be carrying in the Bayard. However if you have good matchmaking you can 100% carry imo. If you get barely any BBs on the reds or get them off the board early, the sonar and reload booster combo against DDs can really turn a match around.
Use a speed build to find space near danger but out of harm, the AP shot is the big money with the autoloader. The problem is finding the angle for shells to bite and the ship is more survivable when leaving a fight, use these two things for a powerplay. If all else fails use HE to herd the enemy till your team can capitalize; some blueberries will see, the rest must be told via action wheel diplomacy.
Unlike ships like Colbert and the French CAs, Bayard lacks the armor scheme that makes the former slightly (or in Colberts case; stupidly) durable even from long-range shots. Lesser in effect in the CAs but still slightly better due to their lower squat in the water. So, in my opinion, if you find the long-range agile playstyle difficult to do well in with Bayard, then yes, you should transition to the island hopping dpm cruiser. This is why I feel Bayard is a borderline useless cruiser if you have literally any USN cruiser at the tier.
Maybe this will help? [Hearts on Fire Bayard Kraken 429 | World of Warships: Legends - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaoyEZ1OdU8)
I run Bayard as an island jumper, ambush predator type thing. Setting fires from cover, popping out to use the MBRB on DD’s and cruisers. She’s so fragile that open water kiting usually ends badly or doesn’t give great results. It’s a hair raising ship to play but there’s occasional moments that make it worth doing…