World of Warships

[Con]

I played a lot of WoT.  Stopped it for the last year just was a becoming a grind at the top levels.  Now a friend of mine wants me to start as a new layer in WoW.  Any tips tricks for a WoT player transitioning?  The comment above intrigued me about the peek and poke

Con

[Dammit Carl!]

I think I may have typed this sort of thing that follows before, so I apologize if that is the case.  Also, I'm in no way a good player so grain of salt and all of that...

1. Botes shouldn't sit still - but do vary your speed and heading in order to try and throw off incoming fire.
2. With only two flavors of shell (AP and HE), there is no gold shooting ships as of yet - I bet Wargaming will introduce something like premium rounds in the future but I'm also cynical like that.
3.  Ships of lower tiers still have the ability to dish out damage and kill ships of higher tiers.
4. Keep your "head," on a swivel as islands and ships have a nasty tendency to jump in front of you as you are trying evasive moves and the like.
5. Focus fire is your friend in getting rid of pesky ships.  Conversely, focused fire on you makes a really short game.
6.  Ships take a bit to get up to speed coming from a complete stop.  They also take space to slow down in order to come to a complete stop.  And they take nasty, big turns.

These are a few differences that I've discovered myself, but I'm sure more people will chime in with better tips.  For example, I've no interest in doing Aircraft Carriers, so I know zip in terms of plane crap.

Anyhoo, have fun!

[jejo68]

I think I may have typed this sort of thing that follows before, so I apologize if that is the case.  Also, I'm in no way a good player so grain of salt and all of that...

1. Botes shouldn't sit still - but do vary your speed and heading in order to try and throw off incoming fire.
2. With only two flavors of shell (AP and HE), there is no gold shooting ships as of yet - I bet Wargaming will introduce something like premium rounds in the future but I'm also cynical like that.
3.  Ships of lower tiers still have the ability to dish out damage and kill ships of higher tiers.
4. Keep your "head," on a swivel as islands and ships have a nasty tendency to jump in front of you as you are trying evasive moves and the like.
5. Focus fire is your friend in getting rid of pesky ships.  Conversely, focused fire on you makes a really short game.
6.  Ships take a bit to get up to speed coming from a complete stop.  They also take space to slow down in order to come to a complete stop.  And they take nasty, big turns.

These are a few differences that I've discovered myself, but I'm sure more people will chime in with better tips.  For example, I've not interest in doing Aircraft Carriers, so I know zip in terms of plane crap.

Anyhoo, have fun!

Dont forget there is a huge different between what type of ammo you should use depending on distance to target ship, what your ship type is vs the target etc.

[jejo68]

oh and start angling your ships dammit. so many people think its cool to show your side because they can then use more guns. Big, big mistake against someone who knows how to sail.

[AchillesLastStand]

I think I may have typed this sort of thing that follows before, so I apologize if that is the case.  Also, I'm in no way a good player so grain of salt and all of that...

1. Botes shouldn't sit still - but do vary your speed and heading in order to try and throw off incoming fire.
2. With only two flavors of shell (AP and HE), there is no gold shooting ships as of yet - I bet Wargaming will introduce something like premium rounds in the future but I'm also cynical like that.
3.  Ships of lower tiers still have the ability to dish out damage and kill ships of higher tiers.
4. Keep your "head," on a swivel as islands and ships have a nasty tendency to jump in front of you as you are trying evasive moves and the like.
5. Focus fire is your friend in getting rid of pesky ships.  Conversely, focused fire on you makes a really short game.
6.  Ships take a bit to get up to speed coming from a complete stop.  They also take space to slow down in order to come to a complete stop.  And they take nasty, big turns.

These are a few differences that I've discovered myself, but I'm sure more people will chime in with better tips.  For example, I've not interest in doing Aircraft Carriers, so I know zip in terms of plane crap.

Anyhoo, have fun!

Dont forget there is a huge different between what type of ammo you should use depending on distance to target ship, what your ship type is vs the target etc.

When is it appropriate to switch to AP and against what?

[Dammit Carl!]

AP is good for citadel hits and punching holes in the more heavily armored guys while HE makes the pretty, pretty fires happen.   :D

...and that is the extent of my "tactical," smarts!

Me am good sailorer of e-botes!

[GDS_Starfury]

Use HE on destroyers and carriers.  As has been said, HE starts fires and carriers cant launch or recover planes when they're burning.  Against crusiers I use 2/3 AP and 1/3 HE.  Against battleships I alternate the mix 50/50 at range but at close range I use all AP.  if you in a destroyer just use HE all the time.

[Dread Rlyeh]

When is it appropriate to switch to AP and against what?

For the most part, BB should shoot AP, DD should shoot HE only.  There are specific situations (BB behind island DD approaching and you have time to switch to HE) and some minor debate (DD vs DD using AP - that seems not worth it to me, but whatever).  For someone starting out, stick with the basics. 

If you are in a cruiser you usually want to switch to AP if another cruiser shows you its broadside or is about to.  The closer the better due to the shell arc.  Aim for the smokestacks right above the waterline.  There are exceptions:  don't bother vs a Cleveland, the Citadel is small and hard to hit.  Plus you really don't want to be close to a Cleveland that is broadside to you, for the most part :)  Something like an Omaha, however, can yield 3 or 4 citadel hits in a volley.  You can get citadel hits in the magazines (under the guns), and possibly a detonation, but it wouldn't be my primary aiming point.  Some of the spread will be around there anyway. 

Just use HE vs DD and Battleships.  You can't score citadel hits against DDs and the HE causes frequent module damage on them.   AP can still do more high end damage, but the utility of more module hits and fire makes HE a no brainer in my opinion.   For the most part, you don't want to get close enough to a BB to where you could actually pen them with AP. 

A tip when it comes to starting fires - look for ships that have repaired recently and then try to start as many fires as you can.   If a ship takes 2+ torp hits, it is almost certainly flooding which most people will repair immediately.   You can watch their health bar tick (and stop) to confirm this.  Then you start 2-4 fires on them and start working over the next ship while they burn.   

I mention 4 just as the max - Cruisers can have 2 fires, BB can have 4, but a ship can only have one fire in each valid section.  So if a BB has 3 fires going, you can only start the 4th if you hit the 1/4 of the ship that isn't burning.  Probably not worth it for the most part, so move onto another target. 

[GDS_Starfury]

I stay on the same target and switch to ap when the fires start.  You're already dialed in so why switch targets.

[steve58]

I think I may have typed this sort of thing that follows before, so I apologize if that is the case.  Also, I'm in no way a good player so grain of salt and all of that...


4. Keep your "head," on a swivel as islands and ships have a nasty tendency to jump in front of you as you are trying evasive moves and the like.

And add game area boundaries to #4 as well.  Sucks to be focusing fire on that pesky DD and all of a sudden coming to a screeching halt when you slam into that impenetrable boundry...and find that full reverse just can't work fast enough.

Another thing to be aware of is team killers (beware the pinks).  Just had my 2nd game with the same little SOB (Heavydrinker90211).  Just try to ignore/avoid them, but make sure to report them.

[Dread Rlyeh]

I stay on the same target and switch to ap when the fires start.  You're already dialed in so why switch targets.

To start the fire/repair cycle on another target.  Even if you can get a ship to burn a repair before much fire damage occurs that has utility for the rest of the team.  If they take a torp hit in the next minute and don't make the flood save, they are going to be crippled and be taking major damage. 

Unless I am at extreme range with certain guns (16+ km with say Mogami) vs a cruiser, some part of my salvo is usually going hit.   There isn't much dialing in.  If you wait a few seconds you can estimate speed based on how many scope ticks they travel in that time, but I usually can eyeball it pretty well right off the bat.   Note: I am using the improved scope mods that has ticks across the entire scope  >:D

I feel its a waste to sit there hammering on a BB with 3 fires when you could be doing the same DPS + fire damage on another ship.  This of course assumes there is another decent shot at a 2nd target and my primary doesn't need to be DRT due to killing a teammate, I'm shooting at carrier, etc. 

Also, speaking of the lighter cruiser guns (Mogami, Murmansk, Cleveland, etc) - I don't feel I get the DPS return from AP when you consider bounces.  Excepting as I mentioned above, broadside cruiser shots.   

[Nefaro]

Only fire AP against equally-sized targets, or smaller, which are showing you their full broadside, at around a 90deg angle.  Only battleships can still do decent damage against smaller ship types (CAs & CLs) that are nearly head-on or angled, but that can be a crap-shoot too.

Using AP in a:

DD- You can actually get citadel hits against Light Cruisers (Kuma, Phoenix, Omaha, etc) at short range (<8 or 10km - depends on shell travel time), where your shots aren't plunging down into the deck.  But you'll use HE the vast majority of the time. 

Just remember that whenever you fire your guns, you will be automatically detected for around 6-10 seconds afterward if an an enemy vessel is within your Detection range plus ~4km.  So get to dodging if you plan on firing your guns in a DD.

CL- Use AP against other CLs showing their side to you.  HE against everyone else.  Aim near the waterline, per usual, for better Citadel hit chances.  CLs have just enough armor to make AP effective, but can't stop them worth a damn.  So when you're in a CL, be very aware of what your broadside is facing, because you can be one- and two-shotted by the big boys.  Fortunately you're very maneuverable.  Everyone else gets HE, although you can definitely get big citadel hits on the sides of CVs if you can find the sweet spot (below where the exhaust stack & tower normally is).

*Unfortunately, the game doesn't outwardly designate a difference between CLs and CAs.  The CLs are generally present in the Cruiser line between Tiers 3-5.  The earliest cruisers are old WWI "protected cruisers" and don't really have enough armor on them to make AP very effective, so use HE against these earliest cruisers.

CA- I separated the Cruiser line into separate CL and CA, because they have different armor ratings.  CAs are more resilient, of course.  In a CA, you can use AP against all other Cruisers who are side-on.  I don't recommend doing so against the Cleveland CAs because, for some reason, their citadel hitboxes are much smaller than the others in WoWS.  Against cruisers that are angled, BBs, and DDs.. use HE.  CV targets are the same as in a CL.  Use HE by default but you may want to switch to AP if they're side-on.  I've definitely had a couple salvos cause huge damage on mid-tier carriers with AP this way, when they're not angled.  They often are, running away, however.

BB-  This is easy.  Use AP the majority of the time.  Except against DDs - always HE when possible, don't be afraid to switch to HE if a DD is close and your nearby cruisers aren't killing him fast enough.  You may also want to use HE against enemy Battleships who are continually heading away or toward you, and angled.  Otherwise some of your AP shots will bounce, miss more often, or do less damage.  I still tend to shoot AP at Cruisers that are angled since the penetration of the larger BB guns still tends to do good damge on hits and it can really pay off when your cruiser target finally decides to turn & you have AP ready to go.


As mentioned, you want to aim near the waterline for AP shots.  Aim near the deck, near the area where the armor belt meets the superstructure, for HE.  HE does it's most potential damage with superstructure hits and often does little or nothing if you hit it low in the armor belt.

Also don't be afraid to use your mouse wheel & zoom out a level or two when in the magnified gun bino view.  Crossing ships going at full speed, even at long ranges, require you to lead them quite a bit.  It's difficult to see where your last salvo landed and adjust when it's out of view, so adjust that zoom as needed.

[Kushan]

Quick shot of my new toy. Only had the chance to play one game in it so far. I did ok, No kills bit I got some decent hits on an enemy Zao and 2 Yamotos before their combined fire power knocked me out.  Not sure what the rest of my team was doing. Our Yamato turned tail at the first sign of enemy ships. Our other Tirpitz stuck around and got the kills. Carrier just ran into the edge of the map and stayed there.

[Dread Rlyeh]

If you don't already have Superintendent for your BBs, I highly recommend getting it.  I've popped the 4th repair party a number of times and it's even won a couple games for me.  Have fun with the Tirpitz.

[Nefaro]

If you don't already have Superintendent for your BBs, I highly recommend getting it.  I've popped the 4th repair party a number of times and it's even won a couple games for me.  Have fun with the Tirpitz.

Superintendent is especially good for Tirpitz' BB "heals".  I've regularly got use out of the extra one with it, since the thing is so difficult to Citadel and lasts to the end most games.  I also tend to take that Captain skill with my DDs too - because Smokescreen and Speed.