Ah, the gem that is World of Warships: Legends! Four years on, and I'm surprised to see that no one has reviewed this game. Alas! I shall be the first.
Where to start? In a nutshell, the game is the console variant of it's big brother, all be it with some massive differences. World of Warships: Legends offers four main naval ship classes to choose from: destroyers, cruisers, battleships and aircraft carriers, all serving their own purpose and roles. PC has five including that of Submarines. They all have their own strengths and weaknesses, almost like a food chain. The game operates a Tier system with ships being unlocked from Tier's 1 through to Tier 8. The more you play, the more you unlock.. There is also Legendary Tier, but these ships are unlocked through what's known as the 'Bureau.' The game also offer's commanders and modifications, that help enhance the performance of ships and classes. I will explain more on these shortly.
Moving on the classes are as follows;
Destroyers, (DD'S) have low health pools, smaller guns and most are equipped with deadly torpedo's that serve as the main armament of these little 'Ninja Warriors'. Their main role, is to spot. capture bases, engage and eliminate opposing enemies DD's, and then harass the cruisers and battleships of the 'Red Team'.
Cruisers, (CL's), are the bread and butter of Legends. A higher skill level is required and they are a, 'Jack of all Trades, Master of none', class. Their DPM is unmatched by any other class, and should be used wisely. If caught off by an experienced Battleship captain, or a devastating torpedo salvo, it is back to port. Their guns can range from anything to 152mm to 305mm guns, (dependant on Tier of course), most are also armed with torpedo's ranging from 6km to 13km torpedo's
Battleships; (BB's), well, a more snail paced kind of playstyle where lobbing your enormous shells is your forte. You can build these behemoth's for long range sniping in the Iowa, or close combat brawls in ships like the Bismarck. Their downsize is their in fact, their size. If caught alone by an enemy DD, or a group of CL's, guaranteed it's back to port for you.
Carriers; (CV's), these annoying things serve but one purpose, to spot and harass enemy ships. You will feel the pain when you have the upmost joy of playing against these, unless you're in the California of course! HAHA!
As fore mentioned, there are commanders and modifications, that can be tailored to help enhance ship/class performance. The only problem is it requires a ton of, commander XP, insignia's and promotion orders to progress these commanders, and although this is a free to play game, a lot is stuck behind a paywall. Premium time does offer players higher reward levels of commander XP, global XP and bonus credit earnings which all vary on ship performance and the tier you play in. However, again, you have to be prepared to get your credit card out. One bonus the game does offer, is that every 6-8 weeks, a new campaign is rolled out with the chance to buy admiralty backing for as little as £7.99 GBP and grind your way through the campaign, earning various items, from camo's for your ships, commander xp, credits and the ultimate prize of a premium T8 ship.
To add, the Bureau is a fascinating feature, all be it a snails paced one. If you lack the commanders and ships in order to help progress your chosen Legendary ship, you could be waiting as long as 6 months for the 'Mighty Yamato'. The more you grind and unlock, the faster the legendary ships become available to you.
The game can become very repetitive as they're only two types of gaming modes , 'Capture The Base', and 'Domination' in Standard battles. The game does release 'Ranked' and 'Brawl' seasons here and there, but they can be over in as little as 2 hours gaming time. To add, Standard and Versus AI rooms, are the only current permanent options for Gaming room's. However, Wargaming will be releasing what are know as 'training rooms', in there July update starting next week. 21/07/2023
To summarise, the game isn't all that bad for a free play to game. Yes, I understand that the developers do have to make revenue somehow, but it does feel like daylight robbery. I do believe this game to have a fun aspect. If you enjoy immersive action packed games, Legends is for you. It does have a massive historical influence, but if you want historical authenticity, I would recommend you play War Thunder instead. With regards to the achievements, they are as grindy as they appear. Most can be obtained through simply playing the game and unlocking the requirements of the achievements. 'Overflow'. Good luck with that one.
Positives;
A high level of content that can vary in playstyle for young and older gamers.
Regular updates that do bring varied game modes, new content and regular balance changes and fixes.
Free to Play
A fun game with friends, especially since the launch of Fleets in June 2023.
Introduction of training rooms to help educate the player base and allow friends to experiment with naval battles. July 2023
Negatives;
First two hours of the game isn't educating enough and most players give up as it comes across as too boring
Commander progression items stuck behind a paywall
Overpriced Doubloon costs for ships
Level of grinding required for achievement hunters is excessive
Game requires a lot of time and effort to unlock the higher tiers
The game can get very repetitive with just capture the base and domination game modes
My score overall - 3/5.
3.0