Through the Spy Glass: Zaō

Zaō has finally arrived in World of Warships: Legends!

This heavy cruiser packs a massive punch with her twelve 203 mm main battery guns that boast extreme accuracy thanks to destroyer dispersion traits and 2.05 Sigma. These guns are loaded with HE that's potent in both shell damage and fire-starting potential, with 3,400 base maximum HE shell damage and 19% fire-setting chances. But don’t assume you’re safe from her AP! Zaō is more than capable enough to punish the broadsides of targets who get too close for comfort, and she's nimble, with a base rudder-shift time of 7.7 seconds—perfect for evading incoming fire.

All that makes Zaō exceptionally good at a hit-and-run style strategy. She can punish the broadsides of enemy cruisers with her AP or ignite the superstructures of enemy battleships with HE, then withdraw from the engagement using her 7.7-second base rudder shift before the enemy team has an opportunity to return fire. If Zaō finds herself in a medium- or close-range engagement, she can unleash twenty 610 mm torpedoes with an 8 km range and travel speed of 76 kts.

Our suggested Commander build focuses on improving some of the other aspects of Zaō that could benefit you in the hit-and-run playstyle. We recommend the following:

Isoroku Yamamoto with his Right Through base trait, improving your cruiser’s AP shell penetration multiplier by up to 6%. For skill selections, we recommend the following:

• Beyond Range , increasing your cruiser's main battery range by up to 10%.
• Igniter, increasing the chances of your cruiser's HE shells causing fire by up to 3%.
• Punch Through, improving your cruiser's main battery AP shell damage by up to 10% and AP shell penetration multiplier by up to 6%.
• Steer Clear, improving both your cruiser's rudder-shift time and steering gear repair time by up to 7%
• Fully Packed, reducing your consumable cooldown time and giving you an additional consumable charge for all consumables (giving Zaō an extra Repair Party, Sonar, and Catapult Fighter).

Regarding Inspirations, you should try:

• Gunichi Mikawa, improving your cruiser’s concealment by 6%.
• Andre Lemonnier, reducing your cruiser’s period of increased detectability by 25% after firing main battery guns.

For ship upgrades, try:

• Main Battery Mod. 2, improving your main battery traverse speed by 20%.
• Propulsion Mod. 2, reducing the time it takes to reach full power when accelerating by 50%.
• Concealment System Mod. 1, reducing your detectability range by 10% and increasing incoming fire dispersion by 5%.
• Main Battery Mod. 3, improving your main battery reload time by 10% at the cost of reducing your main battery traverse speed by 15%.

Turn the tide with Zaō!