Des Moines

Only a handful of high tier cruisers are known to have absurd firing rates: the light cruisers Koenigsberg, Nurnberg, Cleveland and Atlanta, and this heavy cruiser. It is no surprise that due to her being the last all-gun cruiser made, she has all the lessons learned in the Second World War incorporated in her. A very noticeable trait on the Des Moines is her absurd rate of fire for a heavy cruiser with each turret loading rounds at about 6 seconds which can quickly deal with destroyers, other cruisers, force battleships to be wary of her as well as nervously check their hit points when they are under attack by her and frustrate carriers to no end due to her impressive AA suite which, with proper upgrades and skills, have them reach further. Even with her ergonomics and good handling, one can say this heavy cruiser does it all; serving as both an AA and anti-ship screen, joining a cruiser squadron for rapid action as she can keep up thanks to her good speed and provide additional firepower, and functioning as a reasonable cruiser leader for a small destroyer group.

The cruiser's high shell arc and gun layout gives her a unique advantage that other tier 10 cruisers lack and as such she is capable of parking behind an island for safety and using her high shell arc to lob shells over the island at distant targets with relative safety. One can also park the ship around the corner of an island while bow on to act as a deterrent to advancing enemy ships, while presenting a relatively small target profile. Exploiting this technique allows one to turn a disadvantage into an advantage.

Unlike every other tier 10 cruiser, the Des Moines cannot effectively fight as an anti-surface combatant on open water and her shell speed prevents her from faring well in ranged firefights. Instead, one should look to play defensively during the initial stages of the game such as performing escort duties to allied carriers (although the thought of babysitting the defenseless carriers may not cross the minds of some) or putting yourself in an effective position to respond such as hiding behind islands to protect yourself while you lob shells over them to harass enemies, and choose areas of the map that allow you to fight enemies at your terms in close to medium range as the closer the Des Moines gets, the more dangerous she becomes. It should not come as a surprise that if played right, the cruiser can practically dictate the flow of battle and at the mid-game to late game stages where the strongest ships have likely killed each other off, the opportunity to become hyper aggressive and quickly mop up the enemy team with the withering rate of fire is now open to the player. This isn't the only way to play the Des Moines as she can serve the player well with whatever tactics they bring to the field. Shift your play style depending on the situation to give your team the best chance of winning. Knowing when to go defensive or aggressive is key to doing well in this ship.