Is it just me or is there no real reason to pick a destroyer over a cruiser?

[The Owl]

I mean I have more torpedos, stronger guns more hp and can just drive straight into destroyers and spam my torpedos.

[Shalashaska]

more torpedoes ? wait what which cruiser is this

[Ashardalon]

detection range and speed should mean the destroyer never gets spotted
letting it safely farm cruisers
any destroyer dying to anything that isnt a destroyer or CV is from mistakes on the destroyers side
until radar becomes a thing and gives them a few seconds of vulnerability

[FourGreenFields]

Greater detection range, having a citadel, being less manoeuvrable, and being a bigger target are all pretty significant disadvantages.

[ex-Admiral]

Originally posted by The Owl:

and can just drive straight into destroyers and spam my torpedos.

In random battles? Beyond the newbie matchmaker? *Doubt*

[dakin1]

Originally posted by WoWarships Admiral:

Originally posted by The Owl:

and can just drive straight into destroyers and spam my torpedos.

In random battles? Beyond the newbie matchmaker? *Doubt*

This. A cruiser that tries to rush a DD in Randoms will get spotted and focus fired to death faster than you can get into torp range/position, unless you ambush the DD from around an island.

Most BB players in Randoms love to shoot at cruisers in open waters (thinking it's easy damage/kills); DDs, not so much unless they are experienced and/or very good BB players.

[ex-Admiral]

And at 2 km range a good destroyer would likely torp you first, or you're both go down.

[Firewalk]

Originally posted by The Owl:

I can just drive straight into destroyers and spam my torpedos.

That won't work past tier IV FYI, especially once out of protected matchmaking. DDs are the kings of stealth and will spot you for BBs to delete. Trust me, I tried running Omaha that way and what do you know, I was almost always the first to die. Cruisers survive by knowing when to shoot and how to kite.

- RA -

[The Owl]

nvm. I just suck. I maged to figure out a strategie.

[jaquig]

Not to forget, not all cruisers have torpedoes as part of the build.

[casualsailor]

Originally posted by Ashardalon:

detection range and speed should mean the destroyer never gets spotted
letting it safely farm cruisers
any destroyer dying to anything that isnt a destroyer or CV is from mistakes on the destroyers side
until radar becomes a thing and gives them a few seconds of vulnerability

One on one, DD vs CA on a map with no borders, no caps to contest and no cyclones then you might might have a point.

Unfortunately games are not played that way.

I was just in my Friesland and sunk by a Buffalo / Stalingrad division and I was asking myself what was my "mistake?" Maybe you can tell me.

[Ashardalon]

buffalo has radar
and it was a division
a team can do serious damage in those few seconds

your mistake was fighting them yourself, you have slightly over a km where you can spot but are safe from the radar (might be mixing up radar ranges)
your job is to be in that tiny area and spam your team with priority target messages
buuuuut... yea thats not a reliable thing, help from your team isnt really a plan in this game
once radar enters the game cruisers can fullfill their destroyer hunting role
DD>BB>C>DD is the rock paper siccor circle of this game so cruisers will do well vs DDs, just like DDs will do well vs the battleships that will ruin a cruisers day

[jim]

if you manage to handle a destroyer well, read to outcome in the map etc i believe DD
is the most dangerous boat in the map.
A reason to pick a cruiser insted is that it's easier to use. Thing go in a slower rate.
Prob why BB's are so popular. Hard to be good at aiming but less demands to the player.
Guess many agrees with this.
This should cover your question.

[HunterKiller]

If you play a destroyer all the time, you're the one who gets ahead in all the missions for base points. If you'll notice, when the battle has 3 cap zones, there's always 1 destroy in front of all 3, each having their own cap point, not to add, they're all out front. So they rush in, hiding if possible or, pop smoke, sit there, do nothing but, get you spotted for the enemy and when the time comes, launch torps and haul ass. You collect no base points to up-skill your commander and/or, complete your mission and they could care less. If there's only one cap zone, generally, there's only 1, maybe 2, DD's. Do they then rush in for the cap points? Nope.

[5n4k3d0cToR]

Originally posted by jaquig:

Not to forget, not all cruisers have torpedoes as part of the build.

Indeed +1. Equally not all available DD's have torpedoes. Gotta' love variety :)

[casualsailor]

Originally posted by Ashardalon:

buffalo has radar
and it was a division
a team can do serious damage in those few seconds

your mistake was fighting them yourself, you have slightly over a km where you can spot but are safe from the radar (might be mixing up radar ranges)
your job is to be in that tiny area and spam your team with priority target messages
buuuuut... yea thats not a reliable thing, help from your team isnt really a plan in this game
once radar enters the game cruisers can fullfill their destroyer hunting role
DD>BB>C>DD is the rock paper siccor circle of this game so cruisers will do well vs DDs, just like DDs will do well vs the battleships that will ruin a cruisers day

1) I had no choice but to fight them by myself. We were the only 3 ships left in the game.
2) You sound as if you think every game is played on the Ocean map. But there are islands and people know how to use them to break line of sight.
3) Also the maps have borders. One cannot simply run away and keep running.
4) Finally, you sound as if you think everyone is stationary so that it's simple to remain in that 1 km area where one can spot and not be subject to radar. But those two cruisers were charging me the entire time. And a Stalingrad moving in a straight line is faster than a Friesland trying to maneuver to dodge incoming fire. And of course there are those pesky islands and borders to prevent one from simply running away indefinitely.

So, again, I think you are oversimplifying matters.

You said a DD should not die except to another DD or CV. But that is simply not true. A DD doesn't have to die to a CV's planes for the CV to keep him lit long enough for him to fall to German Secondaries or HE spamming Cruisers like a Smolensk.