There are no fresh balance changes from Wargaming for Tirfing and Kriti, but Yuzo has taken another detailed look at the two upcoming European cruisers.
With Tirfing in particular, the intended direction becomes quite clear: fast, long-range torpedoes, good concealment, Repair Party, and enough extra speed to reach a good position very quickly—or leave a bad one just as fast.
An important point before we begin: these are not new buffs or nerfs. The two Supertest ships' values were already known. What is new is Yuzo's detailed analysis and assessment of the ships.
Tirfing: 16 torpedoes at 86 knots
Tirfing sits at Tier IX and turns the upcoming European cruisers' torpedo concept into a fairly emphatic statement.
She has four quadruple torpedo launchers, allowing her to put up to 16 torpedoes into the water in total.
The torpedoes have a 15-kilometer range and a substantial 86-knot speed.
That opens up several options without forcing Tirfing into point-blank range of the enemy. Combined with her good concealment, she should be well suited to putting torpedo pressure on flanks and narrow passages.
Repair Party and 30 percent more speed
Tirfing is not only interesting because of her torpedoes, though.
She also receives Repair Party and the time-based Emergency Engine Power, with a 30 percent bonus to maximum speed.
That makes the consumable more than just a small speed boost for more comfortable repositioning.
Used correctly, it lets Tirfing change flanks, reach a torpedo position, or disengage from a situation very quickly, before the opponent can react accordingly.
Combined with her concealment in particular, that could account for a large part of her real strength.
The catch: 14.3 kilometers of main battery range
Tirfing does not escape without a few question marks, however.
Her main battery reaches just 14.3 kilometers.
That is already limited at Tier IX. When Tirfing enters battles with Tier X ships or superships, the figure could quickly become uncomfortable.
Yuzo's overall impression is positive nonetheless. The combination of torpedo armament, concealment, healing, and speed gives the ship enough tools to avoid relying exclusively on her main battery.
Even so, that short range is likely to be one of the points worth watching particularly closely during further testing.
Kriti brings the concept to Tier VIII
Kriti adopts a very similar gameplay idea one tier lower.
Her torpedoes reach 13.5 kilometers, allowing her to operate well outside traditional close-combat distances too.
She also gets Emergency Engine Power with +30 percent maximum speed.
Her survivability is particularly interesting: Kriti can have up to four Repair Party charges.
That is a fairly interesting foundation for a Tier VIII cruiser, provided her armor and hit points do not send her back to Port before the next heal is even ready.
Europe's cruisers are getting a clear identity
Both ships are now giving us a fairly clear idea of what Wargaming intends for this cruiser line and these test ships.
The aim is not simply to add another conventional cruiser with as much gun DPM as possible.
Instead, torpedoes, concealment, mobility, and the ability to restore lost hit points form the real package.
Tirfing takes that concept particularly far at Tier IX, with her 15-kilometer torpedoes and four quadruple launchers in total.
Kriti already shows the same signature at Tier VIII.
No new Supertest changes
Amid all these interesting numbers, one distinction still needs to be kept clear.
Yuzo's two current articles do not mean Wargaming secretly buffed or nerfed Tirfing or Kriti yesterday.
They are detailed analyses of the already known Supertest versions.
They do not come with any new official balance changes.
This is particularly important with Supertest ships, because there is a substantial difference between a new analysis of existing data and an actual new Development Blog announcing changed values.
Conclusion
Tirfing currently looks like the more intriguing of the two European cruisers.
16 torpedoes, 15 kilometers of range and 86 knots, combined with good concealment, Repair Party, and a +30 percent speed boost, make for a fairly flexible toolkit, at least on paper.
Her 14.3-kilometer main battery range, however, could cause real trouble when matchmaking puts her up against Tier X ships and superships.
Kriti brings many of the same ideas to Tier VIII and also looks interesting with 13.5-kilometer torpedoes, up to four Repair Party charges, and Emergency Engine Power.
Both ships are still being tested. As always, that means: the values are not final.
For a detailed look at the two current analyses: