[img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//4649813/0235b3807d51cf392d02a5422cc458bbd9943237.gif[/img] Today we’re going to be talking about the main naval prize of the upcoming Battle Pass season: the French premium Destroyer Le Triomphant, coming in as one of the fastest Bluewater Fleet ships in the entire game! [h2][b]Le Triomphant[/b]: A Premium French Destroyer at Rank III[/h2] Features: [list] [*] Fantastic max top speed. [*] 4 main caliber turrets. [*] Decent anti-aircraft guns. [*] Premium status! [/list] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//4649813/3f3662d0c8d0a58a800813fa74a88a56d7a28b38.jpg[/img] [h2]Meet the Le Triomphant![/h2] Welcome to the main naval prize of the upcoming Battle Pass season: the French Le Triomphant destroyer of the Le Fantasque-class. Primarily designed to hunt other destroyers, ships from this class rely more on raw firepower and speed over using torpedoes. Because of this, Le Triomphant is essentially a miniature cruiser since it features excellent guns, decent anti-aircraft capability and one of the best top speeds amongst other ships in the game. Let’s take a further look! Are you a commander of the French Bluewater fleet? If you are, you’ve surely come across the Le Malin destroyer that’s already in the game. This destroyer has an excellent max speed but at the same time lacks any significant armor protection, however its excellent main caliber weaponry that are capable of firing SAPBC rounds are ideal for engaging other destroyers and even lightly armored cruisers. So what makes the brand-new Le Triomphant any different? [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//4649813/aa76959b5ec1e4749f8fa6bd919ee274c2e10745.jpg[/img] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//4649813/f9c86b8a5de55d98d31848ed4b7f9062bc673710.jpg[/img] [h3][quote][b]Interesting:[/b] According to the Guinness Book of Records, in 1935, one of the Le Fantasque class of ships — destroyer Le Terrible — set a world speed record in its class, accelerating to a staggering 45.25 knots (83.42 km/h)! Ironic.[/quote][/h3] First up, Le Triomphant has a set of slightly different weapons. One of the main caliber stern turrets was replaced with a British 4 inch anti-aircraft gun, meaning Le Triomphant only has 4 main battery turrets, with each featuring a 138.6 mm gun for use against enemy ships. However, these weapons still cope well against all types of destroyers in the game, but bear in mind the low horizontal guidance speed, plus their weak protection. Compared to Le Malin, the weaponry for use against boats and aircraft is weaker: just 2 x 40 mm Bofors guns, 2 x 37 mm automatic cannons and 6 x 20 mm Oerlikon cannons. Despite this, thanks to the ever-so handy ability for ship gunners to engage small boats and aircraft on their own, these weapons are still effective. The next difference is between the max speed, which is even higher on Le Triomphant compared to Le Malin. This one’s awesome, as with a fully trained crew, you’ll be able to reach max speeds of 43 knots, which is just about 80 km/h — which is almost a record for destroyers! [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//4649813/93789b5dac5a4a53004e12d72ec8154305b3320b.jpg[/img] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//4649813/8f887d5a9a757a218858a69fe376a34bc0cf5101.jpg[/img] Coming onto the last difference which is the premium status of Le Triomphant. This destroyer is going to be useful in Tier III lineups for researching other French ships, and also serves as an ideal platform for beginners to learn the ins and outs of the French Bluewater fleet research tree. [h3][quote][b]In your matches by Keith, Community Manager:[/b] “The French warships have a special place in my heart to play, I really love them (second only to the Brits). The speed and decent maneuverability allow a good player to get into advantageous firing positions and the punchy gunnery of this DD (remember to keep them all clear of the superstructure) will remind any opponents that you won't succumb easily to intimidation. Use the ship's turn to help bear the main guns onto enemy targets and keep your eyes open for any smaller boats looking to sneak up on you and dispatch them with the secondary and tertiary weapons. Calm seas commanders.”[/quote][/h3] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//4649813/4f7f87ffee10abb25378665cb515e4bed183d3a9.jpg[/img] That about rounds off the first dev blog for the upcoming Battle Pass season (and the first for 2024), which will be arriving to your hangar on January 24th, where Le Triomphant can be yours by completing missions in this new season. Tomorrow we’ll be showing you another Battle Pass vehicle and in the near future the details surrounding the full list of prizes, so stay tuned!