Blücher is a tier IX German cruiser that leans into aggressive mid-range combat with powerful guns and strong survivability tools. Designed around pressure and tempo control, it thrives when pushing flanks, punishing broadsides, and forcing enemy cruisers and battleships to respect its presence.
Basic Details
- Type: Cruiser
- Tier: IX
- Nation: Germany
- Rarity: Premium
- Release: 02, January 2025
- Price Value: 19,300 Doubloons
- Primary Role: Mid-range damage dealer with strong AP performance and solid survivability tools
Key Features
- Heavy Cruiser Armament: Equipped with powerful main battery guns capable of delivering punishing AP salvos against broadside cruisers and even careless battleships.
- Strong German AP Characteristics: Improved penetration angles make her armor-piercing shells especially reliable in medium-range engagements.
- Hydroacoustic Search: Classic German utility that allows to contest caps aggressively and detect incoming torpedoes earlier than many rivals.
- Decent Armor Scheme for a Cruiser: While not a battleship, Blücher can angle effectively and bounce incoming fire when positioned correctly.
- Balanced Mobility: Reasonable speed and handling allow it to reposition between flanks or disengage when focus-fired.
- Vulnerable Broadside: Like most cruisers, showing flat broadside to battleships can result in devastating citadel hits.
How to Obtain Blucher
Blücher is not part of the regular German tech tree. It was introduced as a premium Tier IX cruiser and is available through the Armory for Doubloons. At release, the standard price was around 19,300 Doubloons.
Availability may rotate depending on seasonal updates, special bundles, or event sales. If it is not currently visible in the Armory, it may return during limited-time promotions or major patch releases.
Ship Stats
Main Stats
- Survivability: 61
- Artillery – 85
- Torpedoes – 28
- Airstrike – 11
- AA Defense – 56
- Maneuverability – 54
- Concealment – 50
Armor
- 16-160mm
Survivability
- Hitpoints: 43,300
- Torpedo Protection, Damage Reduction: 10%
Artillery
Main Battery
- 4×2 203 mm/60 SK C/34 on an LC/34 mount
- Firing range: 18.5 km
- Reload time: 12.0s
- 180-degree turn time: 18.0s
- HE Shells: 8x 203 mm Spr. Gr. L/4.7 Kz. Vers.
- HE Shells Max Damage: 2,500
- HE Shells Chance of Fire: 13%
- HE Shells Armor Penetration: 51mm
- AP Shells: 8x 203 mm P.Spr.Gr. L/4.4 Vers.
- AP Shells Max Damage: 6,100
Secondary Armament
- 6×2 105 mm Spr. Gr. Kz.
- Firing range: 8.0 km
- Reload time: 3.4s
- HE Shells Max Damage: 1,200
- HE Shells Chance of Fire: 5%
- HE Shells Armor Penetration: 26mm
Torpedoes
- 4×3 533 mm/G7a T1
- Maximum damage: 13,700
- Maximum damage threshold: 2.9 km
- Range: 8.0 km
- Speed: 60 kt
- Reload time: 80s
- Torpedo detectability: 1.3 km
- 180 degree turn time: 7.2 s
Airstrike
- Aircraft: Fw.200 Condor
- Reload time: 30s
- Available Flights: 2
- Attacking Aircraft: 1
- Aircraft HP: 2000
- Airstrike Range: 7.0 km
- Bombs in Payload: 2x SC-150
- Max Damage: 4,200
- Chance of Causing Fire: 24%
AA Defence
Long Range
- 6×2 105 mm/65 SK C/33 on a Dop. L. C/31 mount
- Firing range: 5.2 km
- Hit Probability: 90%
- Damage by Shell Explosions: 1470
- Continuous Damage: 165
Medium Range
- 6×2 37 mm/83 SK C/30 on a Dopp LC/30 mount
- Firing Range: 3.5 km
- Hit Probability: 90%
- Damage: 32
Short Range
- 8×1 20 mm/65 C/38 on an L/30 single mount
- Firing Range: 2.0 km
- Hit Probability: 85%
- Damage: 60
Maneuverability
- Maximum speed: 32.8 kt
- Turning circle radius: 740 m
- Rudder shift time: 8.3 s
Concealment
- Detectability range by Sea: 13.8 km
- Detectability range by Depths: 0.0-7.2 km
- Detectability Range by Air: 7.2 km
- Assured Detectability Range: 2.0 km
Tips to Play Blucher
Blücher performs best at mid-range, where AP shells remain highly effective while minimizing exposure to long-range battleship fire. Look for opportunities to punish cruisers that give broadside and avoid sitting stationary in open water.
Use Hydroacoustic Search when pushing contested capture points or navigating torpedo-heavy zones. This allows you to pressure destroyers while protecting yourself and nearby allies.
Angle carefully against incoming fire and avoid overextending without support. While it has respectable armor for a cruiser, it cannot survive sustained focus fire from multiple battleships.
Positioning is everything. Play off islands when possible, support your team’s push rather than leading it alone, and capitalize on enemies who underestimate your AP damage potential. When used with smart aggression, Blücher can control space and apply constant pressure throughout the match.
