For the first time in her history, the Vanguard has been nerfed. I take her out for a full match and go through every change she’s had since 2020: years of buffs, the big rework, and now the Black Friday Refit nerf.
The history: a Main Battery Reload Booster in May 2020 (borrowed from Jean Bart), free Enhanced Secondary Targeting charges later that year, three buffs in 2021 (a super heal, tighter shell grouping, less dispersion and faster rudder), an HE penetration buff from 64 to 95 mm in 2023 (in the developers’ words, “a time-honored tradition”), and a second reload booster charge in 2025. Then the July 2026 Anniversary Tune-Up reworked her completely: a 20 s reload, harder-hitting HE, faster rudder shift, less HP, a 2-charge Repair Party, and Defensive AA Fire in place of the Reload Booster.
The nerf: reload goes from 20 s to 22 s, and AP max damage drops from 12,500 to 12,250. Is she a bad ship now? No. She’s still fun, still a good time, and one I’d still recommend you take out.
⏱️ Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:30 Commander: Hood
0:50 The history of Vanguard’s changes
0:57 2020: Reload Booster and secondaries
1:31 2021: Three buffs in a row
2:37 2023: The HE penetration buff
2:56 2025: A second Reload Booster charge
3:05 2026: The full rework
4:43 Her first nerf
5:05 The match: dueling another Vanguard
6:20 How she plays now
6:52 Outro
📰 Ministry of Balance: Black Friday Refit
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