Marseille

13.3

Cruiser | France | Tier X

Tech Tree Position

Battle Levels

12345678910

X

20,000,000

Marseille — French Tier X cruiser.

Super-heavy cruiser with a displacement of over 30,000 tons. Her main armament comprises nine 330 mm guns concentrated in three turrets at the ship's bow.

Marseille was first released in Early Access in Update 0.11.4.

Modules

	Rate of Fire (shots/min)	180° Turn Time (sec)	Maximum Dispersion (m)	Maximum HE Shell Damage (HP)	Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell (%)	Maximum AP Shell Damage (HP)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
330 mm/50 Mle 1931 in a turret	2.5	36	212	4,800	35	9,700		0	2,000,000

	Hit Points (HP)	Armor (mm)	Armor (mm)	Main Turrets (pcs.)	Secondary Gun Turrets (pcs.)	AA Mounts (pcs.)	Torpedo Tubes (pcs.)	Hangar Capacity (pcs.)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Marseille	66,950	16	335	3	6/4	18/8/2/6/4				0	3,000,000

	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST (%)	Maximum Firing Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
PCA n° 10 Mle 1		0		0	2,000,000

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 240,000 hp	33		0	2,000,000

Compatible Upgrades

Slot 1
Slot 2
Slot 3
Slot 4
Slot 5
Slot 6

Player Opinion

Performance

Warning. The data presented in the AA Defense sidebar section may be incorrect.
Refer to the in-game Port screens for more useful data.

The pinnacle of the French large cruiser line, Tier X Marseille carries nine lethal 330 mm main battery guns perfect for fulfilling her role as a ‘cruiser killer.’ What she lacks in armor she makes up for with speed, being able to reposition and control engagements with ease.

Main battery

Like VIII Cherbourg and IX Brest, Marseille’s performance is all about her powerful, hard-hitting 330 mm main battery guns. They are the same caliber as those found on Brest, but Marseille has an extra gun barrel, and they are spread evenly between three triple turrets instead of Brest’s two quad turrets. These guns are the largest of any tech tree cruiser, and second only to the 380 mm guns of premium cruiser IX Siegfried and special cruiser X Sevastopol. Her armor-piercing (AP) shells deal impressive damage (9700 HP), giving her the heaviest broadside of any Tier X tech tree cruiser. The inherent high penetration values of her shells allows her to deal significant damage to even heavily armored targets like battleships. She also has usable high explosive (HE) ammunition with the highest fire chance of any Tier X cruiser: 35%. Her 36-second turret traverse is slow for a cruiser, but she has an incredible base main battery range of 19.6 km that allows her to keep opponents at arm’s length. The relatively high shell velocities of both her AP and HE and flat shell arcs make her gunnery comfortable, especially for players familiar with battleship gameplay. Due to their impressive caliber, Marseille’s guns can overmatch the bow and stern plating on super-light cruisers like X Austin, and the British and Pan-Asian light cruisers.

It’s not all good news for Marseille’s main battery guns. First of all, she has large cruiser dispersion (between that of a battleship and a cruiser) coupled with 1.8 sigma. In practice, this means that she tends to hit what she shoots at, but frustrating salvoes are woefully common. When comparing Brest to Marseille, it’s obvious that the latter is unable to fire all guns directly over her bow. Instead, she must angle to show some broadside in order to fire all her guns at a target. The three triple-gun turrets are a mixed blessing, as it means that losing one turret only results in one-third less firepower rather than half like with Brest. Marseille’s base reload of 25 seconds is slightly less frustrating than Brest’s 28 seconds. Her rate-of-fire can be permanently boosted by mounting the Main Battery Modification 3 upgrade and temporarily improved with her Main Battery Reload Booster , which reduces her reload time by 50% and allows her to fire off two salvoes within a short period of time.

In common with the other large cruisers in the French tech tree, Marseille has a surprisingly accurate secondary battery. She has four triple-barreled and six double-barreled secondary turrets for a total of twenty-four secondary guns. While their penetration is modest, they have improved accuracy, best-in-class fire chance of 10%, and a base range of 8.3 km. When fully built for secondaries, Marseille’s secondary guns pose a significant threat to destroyers that stray too close, and can start fires on larger ships out to a range of almost 10.5 km.

Survivability

For a cruiser, Marseille has decent protection. Her bow and stern plating are 25 mm thick like most cruisers, but her 210 mm main armor belt is thick enough to shatter all HE shells and some smaller-caliber AP shells. Additionally, her 36 mm deck will bounce any AP round in the game. Captains must take care when engaging enemy battleships, as any 380 mm or larger AP shell or larger will overmatch her bow and stern plating and possibly penetrate her citadel. Angling perfectly bow-in to engage battleships is not advisable. Instead, she should angle slightly to bait the enemy into ricocheting shells off her thick belt armor. Marseille’s citadel sits just slightly above the waterline behind a slight (but mostly ineffective) turtleback. She has the largest HP pool of any tech tree cruiser in the game, and can heal back a maximum of just over 9000 HP per charge of her Repair Party  consumable. This gives her some ability to tank damage, although only for a short time. It is critical to remember that she is still a cruiser, despite her battleship-like firepower.

As a large cruiser, fires and floods are a significant threat: fires burn for 60 seconds like battleships rather than the standard 30 seconds for most cruisers, and floods deal twice as much damage. And as a cruiser, she doesn’t have access to battleship survivability skills like Basics of Survivability. Her Repair Party  consumable allows her to recover some of her lost health, but Marseille cannot stand up to sustained fire for long periods of time.

Maneuverability

Like the other French large cruisers, Marseille is fast and agile for her size. She has a decent base speed of 33 knots, which can be further improved by using the special French Engine Boost  consumable (+20% speed) that pushes her top speed to over 41 knots with the Sierra Mike signal mounted. Due to her size, she has one of the longest rudder shifts for a cruiser at her tier: 14.5 seconds. Despite this, she boasts a surprisingly small turning radius of 770 meters that makes her feel agile despite her size. Due to her large dimensions, Marseille’s surface detection radius is a below-average 14.3 km.

Consumables

Marseille has access to a large consumable suite, the most attractive of which is the Main Battery Reload Booster . Upon activation, it temporarily reduces her main battery reload time by 50%, allowing her to fire off an extra salvo when the opportunity arises. Careful management of her standard cruiser Damage Control Party  is necessary to mitigate fire and flooding damage. She also has a choice between Hydroacoustic Search  to spot torpedoes and enemy vessels or Defensive AA Fire  to boost her anti-aircraft firepower (provides a 50% boost to the continuous damage of her AA guns and quadruples her flak damage for 40 seconds). Her Repair Party  allows her to heal back some damage taken, keeping her in the fight longer (See Survivability above). The Engine Boost consumable improves her acceleration and increases her top speed by 20% (compared to the standard 8% of other ships).

Anti-Aircraft Defenses

Marseille has an above-average anti-aircraft battery. Her long-range aura has impressive damage-per-second and a range of 6 km. Her medium-range bubble only has a range of 3.5 km and has some of the worst damage-per-second of any Tier X cruiser. While only having a range of 2 km, her short-range AAA deals high damage-per-second. Her long-range AAA guns produce six flak bursts with a damage of 1750 HP. Should captains choose to improve her AA performance, choosing the Defensive AA Fire consumable is recommended (see Consumables).

Battle Performance

Marseille is a powerful large cruiser and the epitome of a glass cannon. She is all about the main battery guns; good gunnery will lead to rewarding results. To maximize her damage output, fire AP at most broadside targets, and switch to HE when the target is angled. Activate the Main Battery Reload Booster  when the opportunity presents itself, or to counter any ships bearing down on her. Due to her relatively poor armor for her size, she will perform best when she stays at medium- to long-range when engaging enemy vessels. She can use her Engine Boost consumable to reposition as needed to dictate the terms of the fights she wants to take. Fighting at close-range should not be entirely discounted either, as she still has a large number of secondary guns that can help her fend off lightly-armored ships like destroyers and submarines. She performs best when captains know how to make the most of a situation, repositioning and flanking when the opportunity arises.

When it comes to consumables, she has a choice in her second slot between a Hydroacoustic Search 

or Defensive AA Fire 

consumable; Hydroacoustic Search is recommended due to its versatility. However, Defensive AA Fire can provide a valuable boost to the continuous damage and flak damage of her AA guns in games where aircraft are present. In the third slot, she can choose between the Engine Boost 

consumable or a Catapult Fighter 

consumable. The Engine Boost consumable is highly recommended for greater flexibility.

Pros:

Large HP pool and good overall survivability for a cruiser
Large-caliber guns with high shell velocity, high penetration, and good damage
Numerous secondary guns with high accuracy
Decent maneuverability and speed for her size
Access to Main Battery Reload Booster consumable
Enhanced Boost consumable

Cons:

60 second fire duration
Susceptible to HE, SAP, and overmatch
Long main battery reload
Must show some broadside to fire all her guns
Slow base speed
Poor concealment

Research

As a top-tier ship, Marseille has no module upgrades to research.

Optimal Configuration

Should captains choose to improve her AA performance, choosing the Defensive AA Fire consumable is recommended
Captains can choose between a Hydroacoustic Search or Defensive AA Fire consumable; the former is recommended due to its versatility
The Engine Boost consumable is recommended to improve her acceleration and increase her top speed by 20% (compared to the standard 8% of other ships)

Upgrades

The recommended upgrades are:

Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1
Slot 2: Engine Room Protection or Engine Boost Modification 1 * or Damage Control System Modification 1 
Slot 3: Aiming Systems Modification 1
Slot 4: Propulsion Modification 1 * or Damage Control System Modification 2 or Steering Gears Modification 1
Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1 
Slot 6: Main Battery Modification 3 or Gun Fire Control System Modification 2

Engine Boost Modification 1 is recommended in slot 2 for players that have large coal reserves, to further boost Marseille's Engine Boost duration. But for those short on coal, Engine Room Protection should be used instead.
In Slot 4, both Propulsion Modification 1 and Steering Gears Modification 1 are viable options. Damage Control System Modification 2 is available for players that want to reduce her 60 second fire duration, but is less optimal.

Commander Skills

The Honoré brothers feel particularly well-suited for the French large cruisers with their improved Grease the Gears skill and improved Adrenaline Rush skill.

Recommended Commander Skills
Cost (points)	Attack				Defense
1	Grease the Gears +15% main battery traverse speed. ★★★	Swift Fish +5% torpedo speed.	Consumables Specialist −7.5% cooldown time of all Consumables except: Damage Control Party  Repair Party . ★	Gun Feeder -40% time to switch shell type. ★★★	Incoming Fire Alert Receive a warning of a salvo fired at your ship from more than 4.5km. ★★	Last Stand The ship remains able to move and maneuver - slowly - while the engine or steering gears are incapacitated. ★
2	Demolition Expert +1% chance of main and secondary HE shells causing a fire. +15% to the fragmentation damage area of HE ordnance fired at submarines. ★	Fill the Tubes -10% torpedo tubes reload time.	Consumables Enhancements +10% action time of Hydroacoustic Search, Surveillance Radar, Smoke Generator, & Engine Boost. ★★★	Eye in the Sky Spotting Aircraft: • +2 charges • -50% cooldown time.	Priority Target The detection indicator will show the number of enemies targeting you with main battery. ★★★	Focus Fire Training In an active priority AA sector: • +1.5% (to 5%) immediate damage. • +25% continuous damage. • +1 flak burst per salvo. −10% aircraft preparation time. −15% reload time of Airstrike armament..
3	Heavy HE and SAP Shells +10% HE and SAP shell damage. +15% ship detectability guns 149mm and up. ★	Pack a Punch +15% torpedo damage. +20% secondary battery range..	Adrenaline Rush -0.2% reload time of all armaments per 1% HP lost +0.2% AA continuous damage per 1% HP lost. ★★★	Heavy AP Shells +5% damage for AP shells 190mm and larger. ★★	Superintendent +1 charge to all consumables. ★★★	Survivability Expert +450 HP per ship tier. ★★
4	Top Grade Gunner -10% reload time of secondary batteries If enemy ship is spotted within detectability range, -8% reload time of main battery. ★★★	Outnumbered If there are fewer allies than visible enemies within the ship's base main caliber firing range: +8% ship speed -10% main battery dispersion.	Radio Location Shows the direction to the nearest enemy ship. The enemy is alerted that a bearing has been taken.. ★★	Inertial Fuse for HE Shells +25% armor penetration of HE shells Base fire chance reduced by half.	Concealment Expert -10% detectability range of the ship. ★★★	AAA & ASW Expert +25% continuous AA and flak damage. +15% damage inflicted by depth charges. While AAA is active: −50% ship consumables reload time..
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful ★★ - Frequently Useful ★ - Occasionally Useful No stars - Not Useful

Consumables

Marseille equips the following consumables: Marseille equips the following consumables:

Slot 1: Damage Control Party 
Slot 2: Defensive AA Fire  or Hydroacoustic Search 
Slot 3: Engine Boost  or Catapult Fighter 
Slot 4: Repair Party 
Slot 5: Main Battery Reload Booster

Signals

Recommended Signal Flags
Combat
Juliet Charlie -100% to the risk of magazine detonation. ★★	Juliet Yankee Bissotwo -20% to flooding duration. ★★	India Yankee -20% to fire duration. ★★	Hotel Yankee -20% to damage received when ramming the enemy. +50% to damage dealt when ramming the enemy. ★	Victor Lima +1% chance for HE bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm causing a fire. +0.5% chance for bombs and smaller shells causing a fire. +4% chance of torpedoes causing flooding. ★★	India X-Ray +1% chance for HE bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm causing a fire. +0.5% chance for bombs and smaller shells causing a fire. +5% to the risk of your ship's magazine detonating. ★★
Juliet Whiskey Unaone +15% chance of causing flooding. +5% to the risk of your ship's magazine detonating.	Mike Yankee Soxisix +5% to secondary battery maximum firing range. -5% to maximum dispersion of secondary battery shells. -5% to secondary battery loading time. ★	November Echo Setteseven +5% continuous AA damage at all ranges. +5% damage from flak bursts. ★	Sierra Mike +5% to the ship's maximum speed. ★★★	November Foxtrot -5% reload time on all consumables. ★★★	India Delta +20% to the amount of HP recovered when Repair Party  is used. ★★★
X-Ray Papa Unaone +10% action time of a Smoke Generator .	Sierra Bravo +10% action time of Hydroacoustic Search  -10% reload time of Defensive AA Fire . ★

Note: Use of the Juliet Charlie signal makes detonation impossible.

Gallery

References

Ships of France

Destroyers	II Enseigne Gabolde • III Fusilier • IV Bourrasque • V Jaguar • V Siroco • VI Guépard • VI Aigle • VII Vauquelin • VIII Le Fantasque • VIII Le Terrible • IX Mogador • X Kléber • X Marceau • X Kléber CLR
Cruisers	I Bougainville • II Jurien de la Gravière • III Friant • IV Duguay-Trouin • V Émile Bertin • VI La Galissonnière • VI De Grasse • VI Dupleix • VI Montcalm • VII Algérie • VII Toulon • VIII Charles Martel • VIII Cherbourg • VIII Bayard • IX Saint-Louis • IX Brest • IX Carnot • X Henri IV • X Marseille • X Colbert • ★ Condé
Battleships	III Turenne • IV Courbet • V Bretagne • VI Normandie • VI Dunkerque • VI Dunkerque B • VII Lyon • VII Strasbourg • VIII Richelieu • VIII Gascogne • VIII Champagne • VIII Flandre • VIII Picardie • IX Alsace • IX Jean Bart • IX Jean Bart B • X République • X Bourgogne • ★ Patrie
Aircraft Carriers	VI Béarn

Cruisers

Japan	I Hashidate • II Chikuma • III Tenryū • III Katori • IV Yūbari • IV Kuma • IV Iwaki Alpha • V Furutaka • V Agano • V Yahagi • VI Aoba • VI Gokase • VII Myōkō • VII Omono • VII Tokachi • VII Maya • VII ARP Myōkō • VII ARP Ashigara • VII ARP Haguro • VII Southern Dragon • VII Eastern Dragon • VII ARP Nachi • VIII Mogami • VIII Tone • VIII Atago • VIII Shimanto • VIII Atago B • VIII ARP Takao • VIII ARP Maya • IX Ibuki • IX Takahashi • IX Azuma • IX AL Azuma • IX Chikuma II • X Zaō • X Yodo • X Yoshino • X Yoshino B • X Kitakami
U.K.	I Black Swan • II Weymouth • III Caledon • IV Danae • V Emerald • V Hawkins • V Exeter • VI Leander • VI Devonshire • VI London • VI Dido • VI Orion '44 • VII Fiji • VII Surrey • VII Belfast • VIII Edinburgh • VIII Albemarle • VIII Cheshire • VIII Tiger '59 • VIII Belfast '43 • VIII Hampshire • VIII Nottingham • VIII AL Cheshire • VIII STAR Edinburgh • IX Neptune • IX Drake • X Monmouth • X Minotaur • X Goliath • X Plymouth • X Gibraltar • X Defence • ★ Edgar
France	I Bougainville • II Jurien de la Gravière • III Friant • IV Duguay-Trouin • V Émile Bertin • VI La Galissonnière • VI De Grasse • VI Dupleix • VI Montcalm • VII Algérie • VII Toulon • VIII Charles Martel • VIII Cherbourg • VIII Bayard • IX Saint-Louis • IX Brest • IX Carnot • X Henri IV • X Marseille • X Colbert • ★ Condé
U.S.S.R.	I Orlan • II Diana • II Diana Lima • II Novik • III Aurora • III Bogatyr • III Oleg • III Varyag • III AL Avrora • IV Svietlana • V Murmansk • V Kotovsky • V Krasny Krym • V Mikoyan • V Kirov • VI Budyonny • VI Molotov • VI Admiral Makarov • VII Shchors • VII Lazo • VII Lazo B • VIII Chapayev • VIII Tallinn • VIII Mikhail Kutuzov • VIII Ochakov • VIII Pyotr Bagration • VIII Dmitry Pozharsky • IX Dmitri Donskoi • IX Riga • IX Kronshtadt • X Moskva • X Alexander Nevsky • X Petropavlovsk • X Stalingrad • X Smolensk B • X Smolensk • X Sevastopol • X Kommissar • ★ Novosibirsk
U.S.A.	I Erie • II Chester • II Albany • III St. Louis • III Charleston • IV Phoenix • V Omaha • V Marblehead • V Marblehead Lima • V Rattlehead • VI Pensacola • VI Dallas • VII Atlanta • VII New Orleans • VII Helena • VII Indianapolis • VII Atlanta B • VII Boise • VII Flint • VIII Baltimore • VIII Cleveland • VIII Wichita • VIII Anchorage • VIII Congress • VIII Rochester • VIII San Diego • VIII AL Montpelier • IX Buffalo • IX Seattle • IX Vallejo • IX Alaska • IX Tulsa • IX Alaska B • X Des Moines • X Worcester • X Puerto Rico • X Salem • X Austin • ★ Annapolis
Germany	I Hermelin • II Dresden • II Emden • III Kolberg • IV Karlsruhe • V Königsberg • VI Nürnberg • VI Admiral Graf Spee • VI Leipzig • VI HSF Admiral Graf Spee • VII Yorck • VII München • VII Weimar • VIII Admiral Hipper • VIII Prinz Eugen • VIII Mainz • VIII Schill • VIII Mainz B • VIII Cross of Dorn • VIII Wiesbaden • IX Roon • IX Siegfried • IX Ägir • IX Admiral Schröder • IX Roon CLR • X Hindenburg • ★ Clausewitz
Pan-Asia	I Chengan • III Ning Hai • V Chungking • VI Rahmat • VI Huanghe • VII Chumphon • VIII Harbin • VIII Irian • VIII Wukong • IX Sejong • IX Dalian • IX Mengchong • IX Tianjin • X Jinan
Spain	I Júpiter • II Méndez Núñez • III Navarra • IV Almirante Cervera • V Galicia • VI Baleares • VI Canarias • VII Asturias • VIII Cataluña • VIII Numancia • IX Andalucía • X Castilla
Europe	I Gryf • VI Elli
Netherlands	I Van Kinsbergen • II Gelderland • III Java • IV De Ruyter • V Celebes • VI Kijkduin • VII Eendracht • VIII Haarlem • VIII De Zeven Provinciën • IX Johan de Witt • IX Van Speijk • X Gouden Leeuw • X Prins van Oranje
Italy	I Eritrea • II Nino Bixio • III Taranto • IV Alberto di Giussano • V Raimondo Montecuccoli • V Genova • VI Trento • VI Duca d'Aosta • VII Zara • VII Duca degli Abruzzi • VII Francesco Ferruccio • VII Gorizia • VIII Amalfi • IX Brindisi • IX Michelangelo • X Venezia • X Napoli • X Napoli B • ★ Piemonte
Commonwealth	I Sutlej • II Port Jackson • III Caradoc • IV Dunedin • V Delhi • VI Hobart • VI Perth • VI Mysore • VII Uganda • VIII Auckland • IX Encounter • IX Hector • X Cerberus • X Brisbane
Pan-America	I Hércules • II Almirante Barroso • II Almirante Abreu • III Vicente Guerrero • IV Córdoba • V La Argentina • VI Almirante Cochrane • VII Coronel Bolognesi • VII Nueve de Julio • VIII Ignacio Allende • VIII Almirante Grau • IX Santander • X San Martín

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Compatible Upgrades