Salem

Salem plays almost exactly like her tech-tree sister, Des Moines, albeit with a tad more survivability at the trade off of less team-play ability. Captains familiar with any other US cruiser will therefore have no issues playing her.

The largest difference between the two comes in the form of consumable choices, with Des Moines having a 9.9 km radar (or Spotter Aircraft) and a standard cruiser heal, while Salem has a 7.5 km radar (and no Spotter Plane option) and a heal that is half-way between a standard heal and a British heal. The other options remain the same between the two.

A very noticeable trait on both Salem and Des Moines is their absurd rate of fire for a heavy cruiser with each turret loading rounds at 5.5 seconds which can quickly deal with destroyers, harm or outright destroy other cruisers with extreme fusillades of fire, force battleships to be wary of them as well as nervously check their hit points when they are subjected to the withering blows and frustrate carriers to no end due to the impressive AA suite which, with proper upgrades and skills, have their potency increased even further. With good ergonomics and good handling, one can say these heavy cruisers do 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. However, unlike Des Moines, Salem's radar will not be nearly as useful in assisting in the destruction of enemy destroyers due to it's short range.

The cruiser's high shell arc and gun layout gives her a unique advantage that her cruiser colleagues at her tier lack and as such she is capable of sitting behind an island 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. Also, firing AP shells at bigger targets such as battleships can deal a surprising amount of damage in such a short time, however only do so when she is close enough to have the rounds deal maximum penetration or if the target is broadsiding.

Salem possesses a stronger heal than Des Moines, functioning similarly to that of British cruisers at Tiers VIII-X. However, the heal is not quite so potent as it's British counterpart. When it comes to healing fire and HE damage, the heal is excellent, but with normal AP penetrations and citadel damage, it is far less effective. Captains should not be relying on the heal to keep them alive in situations that Des Moines couldn't survive.

Unlike every other Tier X cruiser, Salem 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 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. The closer Salem gets, the more dangerous and potentially devastating 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 Salem 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.