Unlike many ships, her stock configuration is relatively solid, and when fully upgraded her anti-aircraft suite is brutally punishing to enemy planes. All-and-all, 23+ kilometer bombing is not a good use of salvos and match time unless the enemy is camping in place. Frustratingly, she cannot equip Aiming Systems Modification 1 to improve her dispersion, either. Those deadly high arc shells seemingly take forever to return to earth at ranges past 13-14 km, meaning that captains must use additional lead when firing at far off targets. However her dispersion is irritating and the muzzle velocities of her 16-inch, 45 caliber guns are slower than the 50 caliber guns found on Iowa and Montana. If the super-heavy AP shells hit at such ranges, they are legitimate plunging fire penetrations and will pierce most citadel decks. North Carolina can fire at very long ranges fully upgraded(27km), which is a double-edged sword. North Carolina is more than capable of keeping up with her team and using her excellent range to begin punishing enemy units while they close. Her fully upgraded top speed of 28 knots is immediately noticeable, and while other Tier VIII battleships like Bismarck, Tirpitz, and Amagi can still outrun her, the gap in speed is limited to a only few knots. North Carolina boasts speed, protection, armament, and handling that represent improvements in ship design made over the span of a 15-year gap in American battleship construction that began in the mid-1920's. She is a welcome change of pace for players used to the 21 knot top speed of New York, New Mexico, and Colorado, and is a radical departure from the pudgy appearance and mediocre firing range of her dreadnought predecessors. The biggest transition in American battleship game play, North Carolina is the first fast battleship of the American line.

Uss Alabama World of Warships