The_Massacrerer

Yes! Haha... That's what I meant to say. Thank you 😊

Actually, I think you possibly can... I have the Massachusetts, and the option for the IFHE Captain skill is X'd out for me as well. However, I recently saw a video about the Mass where the video author (Notser maybe...?) claimed that the X'd out IFHE option was referring to it's (lack of) effects on the Mass HE, not it's secondaries... Which he claims it will have an effect on. I'm going to test this theory at the next update when they have the free Captain respec period.

Exactly^

Well done, Captain! I'm currently using the Cossack to further train my Daring captain (he's almost 17 points right now). I really wish I knew how to play the Cossack better! I have some games which seem decent (for my skill level), and some definite stinkers. I have, however, had fun with the ship :-)

I've seen several people mention the French line as being a good/fun line to play. What makes them so good? I haven't really put too much effort into the French cruisers at this point...

This^ Absoutely, 100% agree with this. Karma is utterly useless, and way too prone to abuse by people for any number of reasons... Invariably negative reasons. There is a "mysterious" correlation between the amount I stick up for people in the chat section who are being verbally abused by some @$$hole who takes his online gaming WAY too seriously, and my plummeting Karma... Regarding stats, I do use mine for self-improvement only, though I admit I am not fully aware of what they all mean, and which ones are more meaningful than others. I also feel that anybody who engages in stat shaming should be treated with the same type of disgust and disdain as you would treat somebody who makes racial slurs or aspersions against your mother.

Impressive! You sound like my kind of Captain :-) I've been grinding in co-op to get the initial upgrades for my ships, before I enter random battles. Well done!

So, asking a couple of logical questions here to Nerdlaender... 1. How exactly do you know that the BB's exiting the battle (as you see it) have achieved their (perceived) goal of getting either the Fireproof or Dreadnought medals? Is there some type of mod or indicator that I'm not aware of that shows you where they are at? Or are you just paying attention to the notifications in the chat box and then simultaneously playing the game, while monitoring the corresponding BB's battle exiting strategy? 2. Are you 100% positive that they are trying to farm the Fireproof and Dreadnought medals, and not just moving to a less congested part of the battlefield in order to not die, and thus provide your team a better chance of winning? I am an average player at best, but I guess I can only hope to have these type map awareness and multitasking skills that would allow me to both play effectively for my team, while simultaneously monitoring their health stats and play styles as well. If you're not 100% sure what they are doing, my suggestion to you would just be to give them the benefit of the doubt, and avoid what looks to be a mounting recipe for a very avoidable peptic ulcer.

I'll quote this post, as I have seen others similar to this. This is another area of confusion for me. Since I want to maximize my Commander Skills for my individual ships (especially niche ships like the Massachusetts), wouldn't putting him on other ships be a detriment to their play? For instance, I recently acquired the Kidd and the Monaghan (in crates); I can't imagine that the secondary heavy skill setup for the Massachusetts would be of much benefit to the Kidd, or even the non-premium Colorado (which is what I am currently on in the USN tree), if I were to put my 19pt Massachusetts captain on them, even just to help with the ship XP. Perhaps I am not fully understanding something? My apologies for my ignorance here...

Wow! What a bunch of great posts! Thanks to everyone who posted here. I'm going to digest what I've read here and blaze forward Thanks so much for the superb ideas...I know this will help a lot!!

I'm hoping this will be an easy enough (few) questions to answer. Sorry if it's a repost, but I couldn't find specifically what I was looking for. So, I'm nearly at a 19pt. Captain. He's specialized for the Massachusetts. I know when he hits the 19pt level, he will start generating Elite Commander XP which I can use on any ship. My questions are: Is it better to just farm Elite Commander XP, and dole it out to Commanders that need it to hit the next Commander Skills point? Is is better to play a spec'd out Captain (like on my Mass.) on a lower tier ship (like my Colorado) to help with the vessel XP? Should I build up Captains evenly (like all of them up to 6pts., then 10pts., then 14pts., etc.), or funnel everything into a making second 19pt. Commander, for even more Elite Commander XP? Your input on helping me maximize my time and Commander XP are greatly appreciated! Also, I am using all of the flags possible to increase vessel and Commander XP (i.e. - Equal Speed Charlie London, Zulu Hotel, Red Dragon, Dragon, Hydra) Thank you!

I'm very interested to hear how this set up plays out, Retnav54; I was thinking of running the same skills combination myself. I haven't played nearly as many games as most of the players on this thread, but I think that the Massachusetts needs to be experimented with more before the (or an) optimal layout is reached. Naturally, the players in the random battles are not going to be as accommodating as the co-op bots by rushing in and letting you (I use that in a general sense) destroy them, so positioning and engagement distance are going to be key with this vessel in normal play. The Massachusetts is my only T8 vessel, so I never fully understood the frustration of the T8 versus T10 match-ups I have read about… Until I started playing with the Massachusetts. From my experience, I would say that a safe estimate would be that approximately 4 out of 5 matches I am matched up with T10 opponents, and a good portion of those I am the ONLY T8 vessel in the match. Not fun. That being said, I don't think that the Concealment Expert skill is going to help much in this situation (as I first thought it would), being as though I am so manifestly outclassed by the abilities and range of the T10 ships. I've never been so terrified of DDs as I have since playing a T8 v T10 in my Massachusetts! I've found that the only way I can survive, and make any type of impact on the game, is when I stay in the pack with the big boy BBs, and work my way into range of my secondaries, and my hard-hitting main battery; a mid-range engagement as suggested by LWM. Initially I will still be the main focus of the opposing team, since I am the obvious seal to be clubbed. However, with the right angling and positioning, I can survive long enough to let my Repair Party kick in, and they realize that they better take care of my T10 teammates, because they are in more imminent danger from them. So, I'm feeling at this point whatever will help the "passive" damage of my secondaries become more prominent is the way to go. So, I was thinking about a set-up like this (with a 19 point commander; I'm 16 right now): PT (vital for T10 match-ups) PM (to help keep the secondaries up and running; LWM's review said they were rather fragile) EL (the main guns have a 36% chance of fire, and 38% with DE...I bounce a lot of shells off angled T10s, but I can inflict some heavy (if not massive) HE damage on these angled opponents, so I may as well take better advantage of the DE skill as often as I can) AR DE (that +2% chance of fire has GOT to help with all the shells coming from my secondaries) BFT (to even further enhance the output of the secondaries) MFCfSA MFT Yes, I realize this puts 3 important points on the Level 1 skills, but my feeling is that it will help maximize the secondaries, as well as also enhance aspects of the main battery. Although the IFfHES will certainly help the main battery, I'm not convinced it will be as effective for the secondaries, based on the knowledgeable comments I have read here. And let's face it, this ship is supposed to be fun, and what makes it fun is the secondaries...so if you haven't fully maximized the potential of the secondaries, then what's the point? Thoughts and comments will be appreciated!

Hello, I don't know if this is the right thread for this question, but I figured I would ask. I have the Massachusetts premium ship, and as you know the secondaries are very important to this vessel. I believe the secondary guns are 127 mm. My question is… Would using the IFHE captain skill greatly benefit my ship or not, being as though my secondaries are 127mm? I'm very curious because most of the matches I seem to be placed in are T10 matches, and I am only T8 in the Massachusetts. It's very frustrating, so I'm looking for some additional advantage. If I can make it to a position on the map without getting torn apart by ships I can't even see, and find some cover, my secondaries can deal out a decent amount of damage, even to T10 vessels. I've seen some great answers on this thread, but I just don't seem to be able to put it together. Any help would be appreciated! Thank you :-)

Yes, this is how I feel! Add my name to the growing list of people who think this is a fun ship :-) Although I'm still trying to figure out how to play this vessel better, I can tell that my skills on it are improving (I wish there were more tutorial videos on the Massachusetts, but I think it's too new), and it's one of only a few ship I have with a 1+ kill ratio. I have a blast nearly every time I play it… With one exception… This. I'm not sure why, but easily 4 out of every 5 matches I play I am the only T8 battleship on a T10 match. I suppose this is due to some matchmaking mechanics that I am unaware of, but it sometimes makes for a less-than-enjoyable experience. Although I do have the occasional good game in this overmatched set up, I can vouch that the Massachusetts it's definitely not OP. That being said… Excellent game, LCPL4ever, especially for a loss!

Not sure what you mean in this sentence Sorry...misspelling...was supposed to say "buy" not "but". I see your point...witht the credits being the main issue, it looks like the Boosted is probably a better deal. I think I'll go with that :-) Thanks for the input, gang!