In game[]
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Unique British unit upgrade of Ironclad. Powerful heavy ship with increased rate of fire, built to attain maritime surface superiority.
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| Prereq: | Build time | HP | LOS | Attack | Attack speed | Movement speed | ||
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24.7s (371t) |
450 | 21 | 44 | 1.4s (22t) |
42 | ||
| Cost | Created from | Armour | Weapon range | Specialty | ||||
| Base | Ramp | Pop | ||||||
 : 250; : 160
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: 6;: 3
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4 | 
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20 | 0-17 |
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Overall strategy[]
True to her name, the Devastation-class Ironclad is a heavy warship, meant to replace the Ironclad and while she is every bit as capable as any Ironclad as a main line and bombardment vessel, the true power of Devastation lies in her construction: she is just as hard-hitting and armoured as the Cruiser, meaning that she has some added survivability when engaging hostile parties on the high seas or laying siege to enemy installations.
Use Devastation the same way as you would use your "main line" of super-heavy warships, that is to hold lines and punish Steam Frigates, but be wary of the all-new Torpedo Boat and the Submarine as they can lay waste to her. Ultimately, your best bet is to replace Devastation with Cruisers once you are capable of researching Steelworks, but until that is reached, you can be sure that with a trio of Devastation-class Ironclads, you should be able to amass some degree of naval superiority in the late Industrial Era. Tow along your Steam Frigates and Torpedo Boats as a screen, and you have a powerful and hard-hitting force that no enemy can easily break.