Are Tier 8's competitive without 15 point Captains?

[Canadian_Reaper]

Obviously they can be played and obviously players used them before they had 15 pt Captains, just wondering

I'm getting close to unlocking the Mogami, Benson, and New Orleans, but none of my Captains are even close to 15 Pts , so I obviously won't have concealment until after some 200K+ Xp on each of them.

I like the Pensecola, but I can't wait for the New Orleans and the ability to not be spotted before BB's, I like the Mahan, but teh Benson is just that little bit faster, and considerably stealthier. 

 

Are these ships competitive without the concealment perk or should I just grind out Captain XP for , well, several hundred games before upgrading.

 

I know I'll be at a disadvantage without, but I'm not sure how big a disadvantage

 

 

 

 

[khaenn35]

Yes, at least for me in the Takao and the NC.

[Destroyer_Zeka]

You'll be fine. As far as Nawlins is concerned, prepare for disappointment. Benson is fantastic with or without Concealment Expert. But id recommend that you just get Demolition Expert and Suitability Expert instead. Benson is just fine with only concealment mod.1

[Wowzery]

Do you need a 15 pt captain.  In fact, if you have to have a 15pt captain to be good, then to me, you are relying on something else other than your ability to be good.

[Defiler_of_Reds]

14 point captains with AFT and DE, a Russian DD is never going to be stealthy enough to matter anyway. 

[Super_Dreadnought]

I think it really depends on the ship type.

 

Battleships can generally do fine without a good captain, as long as the player knows what they are doing. If a BB performs basics like angling, leading aim, not sailing straight, etc. They will do fine regardless of captain skill.

 

Otoh... CE on a DD may be the difference between spotting an enemy for their team to kill, and being outspotted instead and shot to bits.

 

Imho it is desirable to have one's best captains in DDs, then CL/CA, and finally BB.

[Merc85]

You'll be fine. As far as Nawlins is concerned, prepare for disappointment. Benson is fantastic with or without Concealment Expert. But id recommend that you just get Demolition Expert and Suitability Expert instead. Benson is just fine with only concealment mod.1

 

I don't know what Suitability Expert is. Do you mean Survivability Expert?

And I agree, the NO is very weak for it's tier.

[bassmasta76]

I dont think a 15 point captain is required for higher level play, but it can make things easier.  As said by others, a BB can do fine without a high level captain, but other ships will definitely see the benefits, especially with CE for DD's.

 

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[this_might_be_slak__]

IJN DDs can be.

 

Use longer range torps, spam ship balls and smoke. Cap and spot.

 

When you get CE using shorter range faster torps and playing more aggressively becomes a more viable option.

[Hatework]

Id keep grinding shipss, the 15th point will come and youll be better for the experience.  I definitely enjoy my Mahan with demolition expert, and there are plenty of islands and smokes to hide behind or within to stealth fire.

[HMCS_Devilfish]

The realety is ... sometimes a15 point Captain with certain skills is needed in game , sometimes not, overall the more Captain skills yea got ... the better

In my Murmansk with 18 point Captain at V maybe not ...but with MM and up against Vll ... yea need em all 

[BadlyBrowned]

Generally speaking, Tier 8 ships are still competitive without 15pt Captains. 

 

However, the weaker ships in tier, such as the New Orleans, certainly need as much help as possible and a 15pt Captain is almost essential. 

[Ajax_the_Great1]

Cruisers are basically pointless without CE. Everyone else can manage. Well, Kutuzov has a smoke, and Atago has a heal, so I guess they might be ok without it.

[wadavid]

I drive Tashkent, so please roll your Benson without Concealment Expert. 

 

[Arbinshire]

Are they PLAYABLE without one? Yes. Competitive? No. 

 

BBs can mostly get away with it, but if you want to be competitive as a cruiser or especially as a DD where every advantage matters, the concealment is required to play optimally. Unless you drive Russian DDs in which case...A 14 point captain will do.

[WhatIsTheOdds]

Yes. IJN DDs with concealment expert can stealth fire with ease. CVs in good hands with air superiority is pretty much guaranteed to win. Bismark with manual secondaries is almost unbeatable against some ships. RU DDs are a nightmare once they get 3 tier 4 skills, almost unbeatable vs any other DD. Very very big difference. Hopefully the captain skill rework will change all this, 15 point captains are incredibly overpowered right now, at least for most ships.

[suleiman71]

BB? Hell yes. I've ran 6 pointers with no trouble. CA? Usually. CL? Rarely. DD? You need one.

[Kconvey_1]

Im not seeing captains are going to be fully trained by tier 8. IN late tier 6, im just hitting 10 point captains.

 

[awildseaking]

15 point is absolutely necessary for DD and CV because of CE and AS. BB don't need it, but CA benefit greatly as well.

[Gomez_Adams]

15 point is absolutely necessary for DD and CV because of CE and AS. BB don't need it, but CA benefit greatly as well.

 

I do OK in my Atago with a 10 point captain. I wouldn't say it's absolutely necessary at all. Helpful? Most definitely, I'm sure.

[1nv4d3rZ1m]

You can manage without 15 points but you will have to be aware of your limitations especially with the Benson and to an extent with the NO. CE really helps getting into position and when you dont have as much concealment you need to hang a little farther back and maybe pair up with someone else who as good concealment. 

 

Be aware of what your are lacking and adjust your play style to compensate.