Colbert
127 mm/54 Mle 1948 on an Mle 1948 mount8 х 2 pcs. |
Rate of Fire17.65 shots/min. |
Reload Time3.4 sec. |
Rotation Speed30 deg./sec. |
180 Degree Turn Time6 sec. |
Firing Range13.8 km. |
Maximum Dispersion118 m. |
HE Shell127 mm HE Mark 41 |
Maximum HE Shell Damage2,100 |
Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell7 % |
Initial HE Shell Velocity808 m./s. |
HE Shell Weight31.5 kg. |
AP Shell127 mm AP Mark 42 |
Maximum AP Shell Damage2,600 |
Initial AP Shell Velocity808 m./s. |
AP Shell Weight32.5 kg. |
127 mm/54 Mle 1948 on an Mle 1948 mount8 х 2 pcs. |
. . . Average Damage per Second125.6 |
. . . Firing Range5.19 km. |
57 mm/60 Mle 1951 on an ACAD Mle 1948 mount10 х 2 pcs. |
. . . Average Damage per Second255 |
. . . Firing Range3.81 km. |
Maximum Speed33 knot |
Turning Circle Radius620 m. |
Rudder Shift Time9.2 sec. |
Surface Detectability Range12.06 km. |
Air Detectability Range7.41 km. |
Colbert — French special premium Tier X cruiser.
According to post-war plans, the French Navy was supposed to receive six AA defense cruisers, but in the end, only two were built. One was constructed using the De Grasse hull, while the other was built from scratch according to a similar design. The project incorporated several modifications, comprising a reduced transom stern, greater hull width, and a novel armor system. Colbert was built in Brest. In the first half of the 1960s, the ship served as the flagship of the Mediterranean Squadron, and between 1970 and 1972, she was rebuilt as a missile cruiser.
Colbert first went on sale on 23 August 2019 in the Research Bureau for 57,000.
Modules
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 () | ||
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Colbert | 36,100 | 10 | 80 | 8 | 10/8 | 0 | 0 |
Compatible Upgrades
Slot 1 |
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Slot 2 |
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Slot 3 |
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Slot 4 |
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Slot 5 |
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Slot 6 |
Player Opinion
Performance
Refer to the in-game Port screens for more useful data.
Tier X French light cruiser Colbert is a unique take on a fast light cruiser with destroyer caliber guns. Regarded as one of the most skill intensive ships in the game, she possesses the highest damage per minute values for both AP and HE shells in the entire game alongside a fast but lightly armored platform prone to being a free devastating strike.
Armament:
Colbert carries eighteen 127 mm guns housed in eight dual turrets. As stated above, her damage per minute is the highest in the game, with over 590,000 HE and 734,000 AP dpm. Her HE shells should be used often as their decent fire chance and damage output allows Colbert to burn every ship to the ground through sustained fire. Due to their low caliber, the 127 mm guns only pen 21 mm thus players must shoot superstructure to deal effective damage on most targets. Her AP shells are quite strong against broadside targets due to the sheer dpm and should be utilized in such cases.
The shells have lofty arcs and have poor velocity, taking up to 12 seconds to reach the maximum base range of 13.8 km. This means that Colbert can play behind islands and lob shells on targets. The short base range also means that Colbert can play on closer islands without being spotted due to the short gun bloom after firing. This will not be the case if players decide to take Gun Fire Control System Modification 2, which increases the range to 16 km.
Hull:
As a super light cruiser, Colbert has very minimal armor protection and a low health pool (36,100). She has 16 mm bow and stern plating, meaning every ship with a gun caliber higher than 229 mm will overmatch and penetrate her hull. This makes every battleship and a decent number of cruisers a dangerous threat. Her citadel is also large and easily hit when broadside.
An interesting aspect of Colbert’s armor is the 50 mm belt that can bounce shells when angled. However, this cannot be relied on against players with good aim as her overmatcheable bow can also lead to citadels and dying very quickly.
The best way to use her armor is to not be hit at all, which is helped through her excellent maneuverability characteristics. Her base maneuverability is not impressive due to average base speed and somewhat sluggish rudder shift time for a light cruiser. However, her tight turning radius and signature 20% French Engine Boost consumable allow her to swiftly traverse the map at 40 knots and assist in avoiding shells at range. Disengaging is also easily achievable with a good minimum concealment of 9.8 km.
Consumables:
Asides from the previously mentioned Engine Boost, Colbert has access to Hydroacoustic Search/Defensive AA Fire and an enhanced Repair Party consumable.
As with most cruisers, Hydroacoustic Search is the recommended choice as it allows for spotting torpedoes ahead of time and playing aggressively with islands.
The Repair Party consumable is enhanced in the way that it heals 50% citadel damage and heals 18.5% of her hp. This allows Colbert to take some hits and heal more health as long as she does not get outright deleted. She also gets 4 base charges of the consumable, allowing for plenty of health to be restored over time.
Anti-Aircraft:
Historically, Colbert was designed as an Anti-Aircraft Cruiser, but that does not carry well over into in-game performance. While her medium range AA dps is decent, she only fires 6 flak and has a lower (for a light cruiser) AA range of 6km. What this means is that Colbert will not be able to deny strikes on her own and relies on her allies to overlap AA auras to fend off strikes.
Battle Performance:
The term Glass Cannon applies heavily to Colbert and her role as a damage farmer. As she lacks armor and utility consumables such as Surveillance Radar, Colbert can only influence the outcome of games by dealing massive damage to enemy ships before her team dies. Thankfully, she is a ship that can do that, with the help of her rapid firing guns, high potential damage output, and high fires set per minute.
Colbert can be played in multiple ways depending on what the map allows and what ships are on the opposing team. Players must take into account how many cruisers overmatch their armor and judge how aggressive/passive they should play. The most common playstyle is to find safe island positions to lob shells from while remaining undetected. This relies on allied ships to maintain spotting but is safer in terms of risk. Experienced players will push the hull closer, utilizing her lofty arcs to take aggressive islands and pump out more damage. The aggressive playstyle encourages the use of the base range of the ship, allowing her to fire at targets without being spotted due to the lower gun bloom that comes with lower range.
Open water is also possible thanks to the high top speed and good maneuverability characteristics. This playstyle requires players to pay the maximum amount of attention to enemy ships and awareness of crossfires to dodge salvos while simultaneously pumping out damage. As long as fights are isolated and with enough skill in dodging, Colbert can kite targets for extended periods of time.
Division play is another option for Colbert, specifically a division with a smoke destroyer. Colbert benefits heavily from smoke screens as her low smoke fire penalty allows her to play closer to enemies and farm without being spotted. As long as the players are aware of cruisers with surveillance radar and proper screening by the destroyer, this division can be very impactful.
Overall, Colbert is a high risk high reward ship, with great damage output potential. Alongside the tendency to explode, Colbert needs to deal a lot of damage in order to impact the game and not doing so leads to being a detriment to the team. She is not a ship recommended for newer players and those unfamiliar with lightly armored cruisers to spend 57,000 research bureau points on.Pros:
- Highest HE and AP dpm in the game
- High fires per minute
- Tight turn radius
- Good concealment
- 50 mm armor belt
- Access to Engine Boost
- Improved Repair Party with 4 base charges
Cons:
- Low HP pool
- Mediocre Anti-aircraft defenses
- 16 mm plating
- Large citadel
- Sluggish rudder shift time
Research
Optimal Configuration
Upgrades
The recommended upgrades for Colbert are as follows:
- Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1
- Slot 2: Engine Boost Modification 1
- Slot 3: Aiming Systems Modification 1
- Slot 4: Propulsion Modification 1
- Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1 or Steering Gears Modification 2
- Slot 6: Main Battery Modification 3 or Gun Fire Control System Modification 2
A standard Colbert build takes advantage of her good concealment and boosts her gun range for more comfortable gameplay from range. This build is not the best/most optimal for dealing damage but is useful for players that are not yet comfortable in super light cruisers.
Experienced players may choose to run the build named the “Church build” by other experienced Colbert players. This build takes Steering Gears Modification 2 and Main Battery Modification 3, boosting ruddershift time and damage per minute of the ship and enhancing the playstyle of using aggressive island positions to make space and deal damage from closer ranges.
Commander Skills
The “Church build” chooses to optimize damage output while also considering some concealment options in order to boost the strengths of the ship. The skills should be taken in this order:
Last Stand: To protect against engine destruction and preserve rudder shift Consumable Enhancements: Extend duration of Engine Boost to over 4 minutes Adrenaline Rush: To increase damage output Concealment Expert: To decrease concealment to 10.9 km Survivability Expert: To increase HP pool and healable health Heavy HE and SAP shells: To increase HE damage without concealment penalty due to low caliber Top Grade Gunner: To decrease reload time further Incoming Fire Alert: To aid in dodging shells at range
Phillipe Auboyneau is the recommended captain due to the Improved Survivability Expert he provides.
Consumables
Colbert can equip the following consumables:
- Slot 1: Damage Control Party
- Slot 2: Defensive AA Fire or Hydroacoustic Search
- Slot 3: Engine Boost
- Slot 4: Repair Party
Camouflage
As a premium ship, Colbert comes with Default permanent camouflage and a set of permanent combat bonuses.
Signals
Recommended Signal Flags | |||||
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Combat | |||||
★★ |
★ |
★ |
★ |
★★ |
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★★ |
★★ |
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★★★ |
★★★ |
★★★ |
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★★ |
Note: Use of the Juliet Charlie signal makes detonation impossible.
Gallery
Historical Info
Historical Gallery
Video
References
Ship Change Log
See here for links to Update notes.
- Available for testing by supertesters in the game starting from Update 0.8.4.
Testing Changes
- Apr 20, 2019:
- Preliminary characteristics.
- May 27, 2019:
- Bow and stern plating thickness increased from 13 to 16 mm.
- June 13, 2019:
- Repair Party consumable changed:
- Restoration of casemate (non-citadel) damage increased from 50% to 60%.
- Restoration of citadel damage increased from 33% to 50%.
- Repair Party consumable changed:
- June 21, 2019:
- Improved initial acceleration dynamics.
- Number of charges of the Repair Party consumable increased from 2 to 3.
- July 10, 2019:
- Detectability by air increased from 6.0 to 7.41 km.
- Aug 2, 2019:
- HE shell fire chance decreased from 9 to 7%.
- Main battery reload time increased from 3 to 3.5 s.
- Main battery firing range decreased from 15.5 to 13.8 km.
- HE shell damage increased from 1,850 to 2,100.
- AP shell damage increased from 2,450 to 2,600.
- Acceleration dynamics reverted to standard values.
- Update 0.8.7:
- Available in the "Research Bureau" section of the Armory for 57,000 Research points.
- Update 0.9.2:
- Armor thicknesses changed: side armour - 21 mm, deck - 16 mm. Previously, the central part was 30 mm.
- Update 0.9.3:
- Main battery reload time decreased from 3.5 to 3.4 s.
- The amount of HP restored by the Repair Party consumable was increased from +0.5% to +0.66% of the total HP pool per second.
- Minor fixes to textures and ship model.
- Update 0.10.0:
- Improved acceleration and deceleration dynamics.