RF Varyag

The Varyag, as seen in-game

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## Background History

The **Varyag** (Russian: *Варяг*) (Formerly: *Chervona Ukraina* "Red Ukraine") is the third ship of the Slava-class missile cruisers. The ships were built to serve in the Soviet Navy, but they currently serve in the Russian Navy following the Soviet Union's collapse.

The Varyag was laid down during July 31, 1979; was launched during August 28, 1983; and was commissionned during October 16, 1989. The ship often performed visits on various ports of the Pacific nations, including a visit on the South Korean port of Incheon between February 9 to 13 of 1997; a visit to the city of San Francisco during June 2010, which was the first for a Russian Navy surface combatant in 147 years; and a visit to Manila, Cam Ranh, Sattahip, and Singapore on April 21, 2017.

## Overview

The Varyag is a Russian cruiser that is armed to the teeth with weaponry. The ship has one of the best anti air defense in the game, and can also deal significant damage with its large missile artillery.

But even with all of that in mind, the ship still has a lot to be desired. Not only does it lack autocannons, it also can only equip missiles in a single slot.

## Tactics

### Playing as a Varyag

With its player-friendly nature, the Varyag is a ship that is relatively easy to master, and can even be used in farming damages or kills in tournaments.

The Varyag capitalizes on heavy firepower on both its main missile battery and anti air defenses, and a pair of grenade launchers to compliment them. When equipped with the appropriate air defenses, aircraft carriers and missile bearing warships will struggle to strike the ship. Its heavy missile artillery allows it also to engage heavier warships. This ship is a quick-damage, quick-reload ship, so pairing with another ship for constant fire is a good idea.

The ship also has a noticeably high speed, a stark contrast to the immobility of Velikiy and Nakhimov, which allows it to outflank any pursuing heavier vessels and pursue lighter ones. This speed will also be crucial when keeping with the rest of the allied surface vessels during a match, as the ship can be defended by any hostile air targets with the allies' anti air umbrella.

### Playing along a Varyag

The Varyag cannot stand all by itself and will need assistance from certain conditions. The ship will need allied assistance when dealing with capital ships, especially when dealing with battleships. It will normally require another ship, as it has quick-damage, quick-reload capability so it needs another ship to attack in the reload time.

### Playing against a Varyag

Even with all that abilities mentioned above, the Varyag is still badly vulnerable in several areas and can be taken advantage of to defeat it.

The ship, for one, is utterly defenseless against gunfire from other warships due to its large dimensions, but it can take a significant amount of damage, however, so the process will take some time.

The ship is also vulnerable to a combo of big-damage-torpedo subs and hard hitting ships, as it will need to use it’s grenades, a big source of damage, to stop the torps while the other ship chips away damage.

The ship also will struggle if it attacks all alone. It cannot keep up with heavy artillery fire and thus can be an easy prey.

## Suggested Armaments Setup

The ship, with its flexible armaments setup, can be armed with various weapons that will furthermore improve the ship's performance. Below are some suggested weapons setup. But, bear in mind that these are just suggestions.

* Missile battery: Zircon, DF-17, X-51 Waverider, SCALP Naval.
* Cannon: MONARC or Koalitsiya. Ak-130 (Buckshot) can also be used offline.
* Grenade Launcher: RUR-5B ASROC.
* Air Defense (slot 1): Sea RAM or THEL or Oerlikon HEL (If player has access)
* Air Defense (slot 2): Kashtan-M or ANSEQ-3 (If player has access)
* Air Defense (slot 3): Sea RAM or THEL or Oerlikon HEL (If player has access).
* Helicopter: WZ-19 CAIC or SV-22 Osprey (for detecting enemies quickly at the prelude of the match), Ka-58 Black Ghost (for a more effective defense against submarines).

## Advantages and Disadvantages

### Advantages

* Powerful anti air defenses, the best among tier 3 ships. With laser CIWS it can practically cover the AA needs of the entire team.
* High ship speed.
* Can launch two sets of missiles.
* Satisfactory durability.
* Can tank a relatively large amount of damage.

### Disadvantages

* Lacks autocannons.
* Lacks torpedoes.
* Can only equip missiles in a single slot.

## Trivia

* During Varyag's visit to San Francisco on June 2010, a plaque dedication ceremony was held to commemorate six Russian Imperial Navy sailors who died fighting a fire in San Francisco 147 years prior.
* Bot-controlled Varyags were used to beta-test DF-17 missiles.
* The Varyag appears to be the only cruiser with one rudder.

## Gallery

RF Varyag faces off against an enemy USS Zumwalt.