Short historical description

Like many of the ships in the game, especially high-level ones, Thunderer has never actually existed, probably someone had sketched out such a project. In fact it is a Lion class battleship which instead of mounting 3 turrets with 3 406 mm guns has 4 twin turrets with 457 mm guns. All the ships of the Lion class, so Lion iteself but also Conqueror and Thunderer, were never built even if during the Second World War the works for the construction of Lion and Temeraire had begun. Later during the conflict the steel already used on these two ships was hijacked for the construction of other ships already under completion such as Vanguard. The contracts for the construction of the Conqueror and the Thunderer had already been signed in 1939 but with the final decision in 1941 to stop the construction of the first two ships of the Lion class (Lion and Temeraire), this second couple never saw the light.

Basic parameters

Concealment: Surface Detectability Range 15.66 km., Air Detectability Range12.53 km.

Main battery: 4 x 2 457mm guns, base range 21.5 km, base reload 26 sec, turret rotation 36 sec, AP alpha 14900 hp, AP speed 762 m / s, HE alpha 8200 hp, HE speed 757 m / s, 63% fire rate.

Torpedoes: absent.

Maneuverability: base max speed 29.5 knots, turn radius 940 meters, turn time 10.4 sec.

Armor: 32 mm everywhere except for a reinforced side strip, citadel exposed above the water surface, NO turtleback, NO icebreaker strip.

Consumables: 1. Damage Control Party 2. Life Repair (Better Than Normal) 3. Defensive AA Barrage

Price: 252,000 units coal.

Basic gameplay

The playstyle of this ship is quite flexible, as long as you keep one rule in mind: don’t expose yourself in the front lines. In fact, the Thunderer does not have a resistant armor neither against AP nor against HE. You are particularly sensitive to HE as having 32mm of armor everywhere means that all heavy cruisers and light cruisers with 152mm IFHE guns can penetrate your entire ship. Furthermore, you don’t have a high HP total like Kurfurst or Kremlin so if you end up under the fire of the HE of one or more cruisers and you don’t have the capability to disengage or sink the enemy ships you will pay the consequences.

Another reason to avoid getting into close range combat is your main turret shooting angles. In fact, to be able to shoot with all 4 of your turrets you will be forced to give the flank in a very accentuated way while other ships such as Kremlin or even Montana can shoot with all their turrets while maintaining a certain angle. Another reason not to expose yourself with this ship is the fact that it does not like torpedoes very much, in fact it does not have an anti-torpedo protection worthy of this level.

The anti-aircraft is mediocre if not poor, as on 99% of the ships in this game, anti-aircraft consumable serves to give you only the illusion that in the event of an air attack you will be able to do something more than others.

“Yes ok but then this ship sucks!”.

Absolutely no. Thunderer is currently the strongest level 10 battleship in the game in my opinion. Why? Because there isn’t much you can do when facing a Thunderer playing correctly in 1-on-1. Your 457 APs can overmatch the 30mm armor that covers most cruiser decks and if someone goes broadside your bullets have a shorter trigger time than the Conqueror’s bullets so you will make less excessive penetration and more citadels.

Furthermore, the dispersion of the shots of the Thunderer is very good even from distances of more than 20 km. If a battleship angles towards you and presents the stern or the bow to you, all you have to do is load your HEs which have a very high probability of causing fires and great alpha damage. Combine these characteristics with the excellent dispersion of your shots, the excellent range of your guns and the capability – with the right upgrade – to reload the guns in less than 23 seconds and you have a mix that makes theThunderer an exceptional battleship for firing HE.

Your exceptional concealment and good maneuverability will allow you to reposition yourself quite easily in case of need.

In summary: shoot AP to anything that gives you the flank, switch to HE when facing angled Russian battleships or heavy cruisers. Avoid exposing yourself and stay in the second line, use concealment to surprise those who give you the side and go invisible when necessary, try to avoid air attacks and try to avoid torpedoes. Do not expose your side otherwise they will citadel you, you are not a Kurfurst.

Who to shoot

To everybody, just remember to switch from AP to HE and vice versa as appropriate.

Who to avoid

Aircraft, torpedoes, HE spam and battleships that can overmatch you such as Yamato, Musashi and Shikishima.

Experience level required

1.5 / 5 – With this I also win with one hand.

Level of boredom generated

3.5 / 5 – Yes, all very nice but every now and then I would also like to approach the chapters.

Relative Power Level

5/5 – Now I go into the game and smash everything.

Is It Worth Catching?

Absolutely yes, it’s a great ship to relax after a string of bad games, grab the Thunderers and you’re almost guaranteed to do some good damage, regardless of victory or defeat. It is worth the price in coal and I honestly find it OP (over powered) but as long as it is there, take advantage of it.

Recommended Upgrades

Suggested Captain’s Skill

Videos