Through the Spy Glass: Repulse

During World War I, construction was halted on many large warships, including the Revenge-class battleships. Then, First Sea Lord Admiral Jacky Fisher got the approval to redesign two of the Revenges as battlecruisers: Repulse and Renown. Repulse sailed with Hood around the world during their 1923–24 tour. Unlike Renown, Repulse's rebuilds were less substantial overall. She was ultimately sunk alongside Prince of Wales on Dec 8, 1941, but it was after dodging at least 19 torpedoes from Japanese aircraft.

The Repulse "how to" is brought to you by our very own Final Boss XII.

With the fastest base speed of all Tier V battleships and the Engine Boost consumable to increase that even further, Repulse fits perfectly into a playstyle category I like to nickname "flank and spank." Her three twin-barreled 15-inch (381 mm) main battery turrets bring a great deal of overmatch potential, and she boasts the fastest reload out of all her peers. However, the barrel count is limiting, and her battlecruiser armor necessitates treading carefully. Be sure to make use of the speed to quickly move in and out of enemy positions or maneuver out of crossfire while using her fast reload and overmatch potential to deal damage to priority targets. Repulse’s shell grouping is among the best in the game, and she enjoys improved battlecruiser dispersion and short-fuse AP. Additionally, she has a competitive firing range and decent concealment, which will come in especially useful when utilizing her speed to navigate the map or disengaging from unwanted fights. 

We suggest placing John Jellicoe behind the helm of Repulse; his Overtime base trait will increase her Repair Party duration by 10%, giving her increased survivability. For the rest of his skill tree, we suggest:

• No-Fly Zone, increasing your ship's average AA damage per second while also increasing her firing range. This will provide additional protection from Tier V aircraft carriers when utilizing the ship's speed to maneuver into flanking positions.
• Look at Me Now, reducing your sea detectability range. This will give you more flexibility when navigating the map and provide more opportunities to disengage from unwanted encounters.
• Velocious, further increasing your already great maximum speed.
• Reaching Out XXL, providing additional main battery range, which will come in handy when trying to target exposed enemies further away.
• Fully Packed, reducing the cooldown time for all consumables while also providing more charges. When flanking, you might not always be close enough to allied ships to take advantage of Will to Rebuild, and the extra Repair Party charge can be especially useful.

For Inspirations, I recommend the following Commanders:

• Paolo di Revel's "Time Is of the Essence" to reduce your battleship main battery reload time.
• Angelo Iachino's "Go Away" for improved main battery shell grouping when shooting at battleships, cruisers, and destroyers.

Turn the tide with Repulse!