Minotaur
152 mm/50 QF Mk.V on a Mk.XXVI mount5 х 2 pcs. |
Rate of Fire18.75 shots/min. |
Reload Time3.2 sec. |
Rotation Speed38 deg./sec. |
180 Degree Turn Time4.74 sec. |
Firing Range15.76 km. |
Maximum Dispersion141 m. |
Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell0 % |
AP Shell152 mm AP Mk V |
Maximum AP Shell Damage3,200 |
Initial AP Shell Velocity768 m./s. |
AP Shell Weight58.85 kg. |
533 mm QR Mk II4 х 4 pcs. |
Rate of Fire0.63 shots/min. |
Reload Time96 sec. |
Rotation Speed25 deg./sec. |
180 Degree Turn Time7.2 sec. |
Torpedo533 mm Mk IXM |
Maximum Damage16,767 |
Torpedo Speed62 knot |
Torpedo Range9.99 km. |
152 mm/50 QF Mk.V on a Mk.XXVI mount5 х 2 pcs. |
. . . Average Damage per Second118 |
. . . Firing Range6 km. |
20 mm Oerlikon Mk.II on a Mk.V mount10 х 2 pcs. |
. . . Average Damage per Second61 |
. . . Firing Range2.01 km. |
76.2 mm/70 QF Mk.N1 on a Mk.6 mount8 х 2 pcs. |
. . . Average Damage per Second315.2 |
. . . Firing Range3.99 km. |
Maximum Speed33.5 knot |
Turning Circle Radius750 m. |
Rudder Shift Time10.4 sec. |
Surface Detectability Range11.17 km. |
Air Detectability Range8.52 km. |
Minotaur — British Tier X cruiser.
A light cruiser design with a more powerful and sophisticated AA system. Developed after the end of World War II from the Neptune-class cruisers. She carried dual-purpose main guns placed in new turrets, allowing for a higher rate of fire.
Modules
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
Atop the British cruiser line stands Tier X's Minotaur. She has a very different — and very unique — turret configuration compared to that of Neptune, and her main battery guns have a reload speed that gives Gearing a run for her money.
Minotaur’s main battery is comprised of five quick-turning turrets, each with a pair of Mk XXVI 152mm rifles. The Mk XXVI is a further upgrade over the Mk XXV deployed aboard Neptune, and the reload time drops to 3.2 seconds (or 2.8 seconds with Main Battery Modification 3 installed in Upgrade Slot 6). Minotaur spits out 152mm shells at a rate that has to be seen to be believed; as insane her rate of fire is, however, its impact is somewhat mitigated by the British light cruiser line lacking high-explosive shells. Like her immediate predecessor, her main battery guns are dual purpose and contribute to her anti-aircraft suite, but while Minotaur’s overall AA impact on the battlefield will be significant, it will be less than that of a Neptune whose commander has the Manual Fire Control for AA Armament skill. Most of Minotaur’s AA punch comes from her middle ring of 76.2mm guns, leaving her with only her dual-purpose main battery guns to function as long-range AA.
Her torpedoes and torpedo launcher configuration remains identical to what was found on Neptune: two four-tube launchers per side equipped with 10.0 km range torpedo that reload relatively quickly (96 seconds). She is the stealthiest of all the Tier X cruisers, able to drop her detection radius down to 9.04 km when fully rigged for stealth. Minotaur’s armor remains roughly equivalent to that of Neptune — which is to say that there isn't very much of it — and she is further hampered by how high her citadel space rides amidships. Minotaur will be punished severely for exposing her broadside to enemy battleships and heavy cruisers. Fortunately, she handles slightly better Neptune in exchange for giving up a bit of maximum range on her main battery.
Just like all of her predecessors, playing Minotaur well comes down to efficient and timely use of her various consumables. She can equip Surveillance Radar or Smoke Generator ; neither is a bad choice, depending on how individual captains wish to play the ship. She also has the over-sized Repair Party that Edinburgh and Neptune do, as well as carrying Hydroacoustic Search by default.
She's fragile and requires careful positioning and play, but Minotaur is deadly to enemy destroyers and a threat to enemy cruisers when helmed by a captain with their head in the game who doesn't expose their citadel unnecessarily.Pros:
- Unrivaled rate of fire amongst Tier X cruisers.
- Exceptionally low detection radius.
- Fast turret traverse.
- Very powerful anti-aircraft suite; if kitted out for anti-aircraft duties, she has one of the most potent AA bubbles of any cruiser in the game.
- A jack of all trades: she can shred destroyers, deal with her cruiser peers, give battleships something to fret about, and be another detriment to carriers.
- Great torpedo range combined with the best torpedo reload of all Tier X cruisers.
- Has access to an enhanced version of Repair Party that allows her to regenerate large amounts health.
- Radar-equipped Minotaur can do stealth radar; she has 900-meter radar buffer from range to her surface detection.
- Can equip Surveillance Radar with a 9.9 km range and a long duration; combined with a high rate of fire, she is a nightmare to destroyers.
Cons:
- Large citadel size.
- Initial shell velocity is the same as Neptune; however, at maximum range, her shells fall back to earth slowly.
- Lightly-armored turrets that are disabled easily (if not outright destroyed).
- Cannot equip the Defensive AA Fire consumable to increase the anti-aircraft suite's potency even further.
- As with the rest of the British cruiser line, her reliance on armor piercing shells is at times frustrating, as they will either bounce or deal consistently low damage.
- Torpedo tubes are somewhat exposed and are disabled frequently when under fire.
- Very weak armor; she can bounce 152mm, 203mm and 220mm rounds at certain angles, but will be easily penetrated by shells larger than that. A lack of internal vertical protection also means that overmatch hits through the bow are very likely to citadel her.
- Cannot equip Smoke Generator and Surveillance Radar simultaneously; captains must choose their role before going into battle.
Research
Optimal Configuration
Upgrades
The recommended upgrades for Minotaur are as follows:
- Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1
- Slot 2: Damage Control System Modification 1
- Slot 3: AA Guns Modification 1
- Slot 4: Steering Gears Modification 2
- Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1 or Aerosol Smoke Curtain System ()
- Slot 6: Main Battery Modification 3 or AA Guns Modification 2 ()
For Slot 5, many people would choose Concealment System Modification 1 . However, the Legendary offers another way to play Minotaur by changing her Smoke Generator style to a rolling smoke, which is usually only found on cruisers and destroyers in the Commonwealth nation. A rolling smoke differs from normal smokes in that the smoke screen generation time is very long compared to other nations but the smoke duration is very short. Using this, a player moving at 1/4 speed the entire time would be able to move while undetectedfor a very long time. However, players who use Surveillance Radar instead
The choice of what to plug into Upgrade Slot 6 will heavily influence the subsequent mix of commander skills captains will choose and how their Minotaur will play.
Generalist Build: Captains wishing to maintain their Minotaur in a very flexible built will likely opt to slot Main Battery Modification 3 into Slot 6. This shortens her reload up to 2.8 seconds (possibly even lower with the Adrenaline Rush commander skill). Minotaur’s AA is still fairly substantial even without AA Guns Modification 2 (), and she gains more offensive power with the faster gun reload.
Anti-Aircraft Build: Currently the most popular build for this ship. Captain wishing to focus their Minotaur to have better AA will opt for AA Guns Modification 2 () for the Slot 6 to add more AA DPS. Although her AA is completely scary, her usefulness depends whether there is a carrier in the game. This build, however, is great on divisioning with a Tier IX or Tier X carrier to make sure that the carrier division has AA as a cover.
Keep in mind that Minotaur can also be equipped with Surveillance Radar Modification 1 to extend her Surveillance Radar activation time up to 48 seconds. Similarly, she can also be equipped with Hydroacoustic Search Modification 1 to extend her Hydroacoustic Search activation time up to 120 seconds, allowing captains to do a cycle between the two consumables if they choose to equip the radar consumable. Both of these are available options in Upgrade Slot 2.
Commander Skills
Recommended Commander Skills | ||||||||
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Cost (points) |
Endurance | Attack | Support | Versatility | ||||
1 |
★★★ |
★ |
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★ |
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2 |
★ |
★★★ |
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★★ |
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★★★ |
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3 |
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★★ |
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★★ |
★★★ |
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★ |
4 |
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★★ |
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★ |
★★★ |
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful ★★ - Frequently Useful ★ - Occasionally Useful No stars - Meh Χ - Not recommended |
Consumables
Minotaur can equip the following consumables:
- Slot 1: Damage Control Party
- Slot 2: Repair Party
- Slot 3: Hydroacoustic Search
- Slot 4: Smoke Generator or Surveillance Radar
As a high-tier cruiser, captains are recommended to equip all consumables with the premium version, which can be bought with credits () or doubloons ().
Most Minotaur captains will automatically equip Smoke Generator II () for the Slot 2 just like any other Royal Navy cruiser at lower tiers. This is good on solo playing or when divisioning with a carrier to utilize her AA from within the cover of smoke. Surveillance Radar II () provides a different challenge and more utility as the radar has 9.9 km range and 9.04 km detection. Divisioning with a destroyer for a smoke generator is the easiest way to play a radar Minotaur setup. Playing radar Minotaur outside of a division is much more challenging, and is only recommended for captains with excellent situational awareness.
Camouflage
Type 1, 2, or 5 camouflage can be equipped for credits; Types 1 or 5 are recommended at a minimum to reduce detection range.
Players who wish to spend doubloons can equip Minotaur with Type 20 camouflage that lowers her detection range, reduces the accuracy of incoming shells, reduces her repair costs, increases her credit earnings, and increases the amount of experience she earns.
Signals
Similar to Edinburgh and Neptune, India Delta () and November Foxtrot () are highly recommended regardless of how her commander skills and upgrades are configured. Captains invested in the Anti-Aircraft Build will want to equip a November Echo Setteseven ().
Recommended Signal Flags | |||||
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Combat | |||||
★★ |
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★★★ |
★★★ |
★★★ |
★★★ |
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Note: Use of the Juliet Charlie signal makes detonation impossible.
Gallery
After being spotted, Minotaur desperately charges an enemy Yamato and fires her torpedoes.
Historical Info
Historical Gallery
References
- British Cruisers, Two world wars and after by Norman Friedman
- Information on the 6-inch guns that were to be mounted on the Minotaur, and were later mounted on the post-war Tiger-class cruisers
- Rebuilding the Royal Navy: Warship design since 1945, by D.K.Brown and George Moore
- Discussion on the origin of the designs of the Minotaur