Operation Raptor: Thoughts and a Baseline Strategy

[GhostSwordsman]

So, I've managed to 4 star the new operation already. Props to the pub team that managed to pull it off. Our CV was really good and was able to down both enemy CVs allowing the other ships to stay near Raptor and the support ships to keep them alive. In fact, it would have been a 5 star run had someone managed to get ahead of Raptor into the extraction zone. That was the only secondary objective missed.

All in all, I'd agree with those that are saying this is the hardest operation to date. It requires teamwork and synergy unlike the previous operations. You can't have stragglers or yolo'ers, otherwise you leave Raptor and the convoy exposed. But, the operation is also fun, in my opinion. It's not super frustrating like Newport was and it's fun like Aegis, just challenging to complete. I think WG is on to something with these escort operations.

 

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As for how to complete the operation, I think in the three runs I made of the mission to get 4 stars minimum, I've determined a baseline strategy that can be used.

First of all, and most importantly, is team composition. You will absolutely need a CV in this operation. I recommend a Ryujo, since she gets two TB and two DB squads along with a fighter, but a 1/1/1 Independence should do the job as well. Two of the secondary objectives are to kill the enemy CVs, and they both spawn with escorts, so it would be difficult for a destroyer to get to their spawn location and torp them as soon as they spawn in. An allied CV will also be able to spot bot torpedoes and help fend off bot aircraft. I absolutely do not recommend bringing T5 CVs into the operation. The need to manual drop on bots is paramount and T5 CVs are incapable of that.

From there, I'd recommend having two destroyers on your team, preferably Farraguts. The reasons are, 1) being a USN destroyer means that they'll have the longest deploy time on their smoke, and the longest duration as well, and 2) Farragut can trade one gun for the ability to mount DFAA on it's optional C hull. I consider this invaluable because while you might not shoot down many planes, you can protect yourself and the convoy/allies from enemy air strikes by panicking the bombers.

For cruisers, I'd recommend at least two Clevelands. Their AA power is unmatched at tier, and they can mount the most DFAA consumables. In my opinion, one Cleveland is necessary, the second would just be insurance against enemy air power. As for the other cruisers, DPM is the name of the game. La Galli, Nurnberg, and Budyonny are likely good picks as well. I do not recommend any of the T5 cruisers as they cannot mount DFAA. You're likely better off with Nurnberg's C hull for the DFAA than the extra torps on the B hull. Getting close enough to bots to torp them in a ship like Nurnberg isn't a good idea.

As for battleships, I don't believe it's entirely necessary to have a battleship on the team. The run I had that made 4 stars had no battleships, and the bot BBs were largely not an issue. If there are no battleships on your team, then be sure to focus fire down the BBs last, or let the CV take care of them. Just make sure you don't give the bot BBs good broadside shots on you, because the can and will wreck you with AP volleys if you're not careful. If you do want to take a battleship into Operation: Raptor, then I'd only recommend taking one. The team slots are better filled with DDs and CLs.

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Operation Raptor has two primary tasks. Escort the support/resupply ships to Raptor and get it operational, and escort Raptor(a Ranger-class CV) and the convoy out of the battle zone. When you spawn in, you'll have three support ships with you, a bot CV, Cimarron, and Liberty.

Your first objective, as stated above, is to get to Raptor and repair/resupply it. Raptor spawns hidden(from enemy sight lines) in-between islands about 13km away from the task force's spawn point. The convoy you are to escort to Raptor spawns to the port side(left/south) of your fleet. This is because the first bots you'll encounter spawn to your starboard side(right/north). Have the team train guns to starboard and be ready for when the first bot is spotted.  You'll be facing three ships:

• One DD, Minekaze
• One Cruiser, Furutaka
• One BB, Myogi

Focus down the DD and cruiser first, as they're the biggest threats to the convoy and your team's destroyer(s). Once they are sunk, work on the BB as you move towards Raptor.

 

When the convoy reaches Raptor, they begin to resupply and rearm her. You'll have a short window of down time here so regroup and get ready for when Raptor moves out. Of important note here, Liberty becomes a repair ship when the convoy and Raptor start to move to the second waypoint. Liberty will heal any ship within the circle, just like in the Defense of Newport operation. Stick with Liberty and the convoy to heal up if you've taken damage.

Right before Raptor's propulsion is partially restored, three bot cruisers will spawn from the south*. It's probably best for the team to move ahead of Raptor and the convoy to intercept the cruisers. The convoy is hidden from view where Raptor initially spawns, so you only have to worry about the Myoko getting LoS on it as it travels more north westward whereas the Aoba and Kuma sail almost directly towards Raptor's position. Make the Myoko your priority as the Myoko will kite the convoy across the entire map if not sunk quickly.(The Aoba will do the same, but is inherently less dangerous than the Myoko due to a lighter broadside) Either the CV can take care of this, or just focus fire from the fleet. Once Raptor gets moving, the first bot CV will spawn in from the south. It will spawn with a DD(Minekaze) and cruiser(Kuma) escort, and every time I've seen the bot CV spotted, the DD with it lays smoke for it. Let your allied player CV take care of the enemy Zuiho. The fleet should focus on the DD and the cruiser, in that order.

Of note, when Raptor starts to move, I'd have one of the destroyers lay a smoke screen at full speed in the direction of the next waypoint. This will keep Raptor and the convoy hidden from view for a length of time, and allows damaged teammates to continue to repair and fire at the bots without retaliation. Just be sure that your DD isn't the only one visible as it will die quickly to focus fire from the bots.

* These three cruisers can also spawn north of Raptor's position. Have your CV send aircraft north and south to determine their approach.

As Raptor is moving from it's spawn location to the next waypoint, 4 more ships will spawn from the north, around C5 on the mini-map. A Minekaze, Mutsuki, Aoba, and a Kuma. Be aware of this and focus them down as Raptor is very exposed here, and the two DDs are not spotted until there are well within torpedo range of Raptor and the convoy. Raptor cannot move at full speed, and is no longer behind cover being out in the open with the next island quite a ways away.

 

Once Raptor reaches the second waypoint, the fighting will intensify. I think it best to try and clear the map before this point as you'll be dealing with at least 5 new bots and the last bot CV.

• Myogi
• Kongo
• Kuma
• Minekaze
• Ryujo

These are the only bots I've personally confirmed to spawn in as the last attack wave. I recall seeing an Aoba around, but I am unsure if it was just left over from one of the earlier attack waves. I think I might have also spotted a Mutsuki a few times, but I'm not entirely sure.

When Raptor reaches the second waypoint, it will stop for repairs to it's engines. Raptor recommends laying a smoke screen over it to keep it hidden. Heed this advice, as you'll be dealing with an enemy Ryujo who will attack Raptor and the convoy(the allied bots will not move to avoid air dropped torpedoes or bombs, so they will take damage if they're visible and the squads are not panicked by DF). Also, during this time Raptor's air wing becomes operational again, so keeping enemy dive bombers off her is important so Raptor can get some fighters and bombers into the air and cycle them by attacking enemy ships.

So far, this is the only mass air attack I've witnessed on the convoy, so have one ship with DFAA ready, and be sure to communicate so you can cycle DF among the ships. The less damage Raptor and the support ships take, the easier the last leg will be when Raptor sprints for the evac zone.

 

When Raptor gets moving again, the bot fleet will be rather close and coming from the north. Have the team train guns to the north and be ready to focus down the enemy DDs. If you let them get close, they will torpedo the convoy. I've seen Raptor make evasive maneuvers to avoid torpedoes, but I don't believe the support ships do the same. Just don't let them get close. I'd recommend having your second destroyer lay smoke on Raptor and the convoy when they start to move again, it will keep your player CV and the escorted ships hidden, because the engagement range of this last skirmish is rather close. Have the CV simultaneously focus on the bot BBs and the bot Ryujo. Make sure the bot Ryujo is sunk before Raptor gets to the extract point as this is a secondary task.

There is one last secondary task(this is the one my team failed to achieve) and that is to get ahead of Raptor into the extraction zone. All that is required is that one ship needs to be ahead of Raptor and enter the extraction zone circle first for this task to complete. So just make sure one of your teammates is ahead of Raptor when Raptor and the convoy make that final sprint to the evac zone.

 

If your team executed this operation well, you should have two sunken bot CVs, no support ships lost, have killed three bots in one minute, have an ally ahead of Raptor going into the extract zone, and have Raptor survive and escape. I think this is a good baseline strategy to follow, and was what worked in my case.

[Peacemaker100]

Thanks for the tips!  Don't have to worry about needing a cv on the team though, cuz that'll be me.  Manual dropping ships is fun, though less so cuz they don't dodge

[kerensky914]

We need a sub-forum for strategy guides for the Operations...

[GhostSwordsman]

Just now, kerensky914 said:

We need a sub-forum for strategy guides for the Operations...

Yeah, that would be nice, and help. I wasn't quite sure where to post this, but settled on GD as it'll get the most attention here. And hopefully that will help others have a better chance at 4 and 5 star runs of the operation.

[Triela50]

While I agree a BB isn't needed I did have a lot fun and success in my Mutsu it easly over matched the bows of any of the bots 

[HazeGrayUnderway]

I used Stock Independence, 1/1/1 spec and it was easy getting the 4/5 stars.  I stayed just behind Raptor and her support ships.  Our retreat point was the west, central edge of the map.

 

Scouting and keeping air superiority was absolutely paramount.  Indy's one, super fighter unit simply runs over anything in the air, having a TB & DB unit meant I still had respectable attack power.  Scouting is vital, send the fighter to fly around and ahead to spot threats so the team knows what was up.  There was also a point in the match where the team was looking northwest but a stray flight pattern of my fighter southeast of the group showed a BB coming that way, so the team dealt with it easy.  Scouting also lets you catch DDs early so the guys can be better prepared.

 

IMO, do not bring an AS CV because you need that capability to do good damage at range so targets are worked down at long range before the gunfight gets heated.  It is also important to be able to send good strikes in on the CVs that spawn later, getting hits down and hopefully sinking them before the team has to heavily deal in bombers.

 

What I did screw up on as failing to notice one of the optional objectives, for a member of the team to get to the extract before Raptor does.  The rest of the team was too scattered to do that.  My CV was just behind Raptor and I didn't notice my error until later.  I was trying to race my CV ahead of Raptor and almost did but I was too late.  IMO, the CV staying with the Raptor group is the best candidate to race ahead of Raptor for the optional.  The other surface ships may be in no position to do so due to the fighting.  My ship was still practically full HP so this was my fault we didn't get the 5/5 stars.

[Estimated_Prophet]

14 minutes ago, Peacemaker100 said:

Manual dropping ships is fun, though less so cuz they don't dodge

 

Except for the (bleeping) destroyers; the number of manual torp drops bot destroyers 'magically' dodged in Killer Whale beggars belief....

 

Had one perfect drop... The torps split apart in a screwy way, and the DD just tiptoed right through the gap...

[CaptainKaitoGhost]

What nation is the captain for this time?

[GhostSwordsman]

10 minutes ago, HazeGrayUnderway said:

I used Stock Independence, 1/1/1 spec and it was easy getting the 4/5 stars.  I stayed just behind Raptor and her support ships.  Our retreat point was the west, central edge of the map.

 

Scouting and keeping air superiority was absolutely paramount.  Indy's one, super fighter unit simply runs over anything in the air, having a TB & DB unit meant I still had respectable attack power.  Scouting is vital, send the fighter to fly around and ahead to spot threats so the team knows what was up.  There was also a point in the match where the team was looking northwest but a stray flight pattern of my fighter southeast of the group showed a BB coming that way, so the team dealt with it easy.

 

IMO, do not bring an AS CV because you need that capability to do good damage at range so targets are worked down at long range before the gunfight gets heated.  It is also important to be able to send good strikes in on the CVs that spawn later, getting hits down and hopefully sinking them before the team has to heavily deal in bombers.

 

What I did screw up on as failing to notice one of the optional objectives, for a member of the team to get to the extract before Raptor does.  The rest of the team was too scattered to do that.  My CV was just behind Raptor and I didn't notice my error until later.  I was trying to race my CV ahead of Raptor and almost did but I was too late.  IMO, the CV staying with the Raptor group is the best candidate to race ahead of Raptor for the optional.  The other surface ships may be in no position to do so due to the fighting.  My ship was still practically full HP so this was my fault we didn't get the 5/5 stars.

I don't think the extraction zone objective changes in this operation like it did in Killer Whale. Each of the runs I did, Raptor followed the same path, and the bot spawns were in the same locations.

This is good advice though. The only reason I recommended Ryujo over Independence though is because Ryujo has that extra TB and DB, which could allow either a heavier alpha on the bot BBs or CVs, or allow you to set a DoT on an extra target.(well, and two extra sets of eyes for spotting) I don't doubt that Independence wouldn't do just as well, but Ryujo's loadout tends to be more flexible if the need arises. That's not an issue with the operation but rather the way the two CV lines were implemented. No fault of the Independence's, that's for sure. Plus, if your team is smart, they'll load up on DF and AA heavy ships so the CV won't have to worry about intercepting enemy bombers as much.

7 minutes ago, CaptainKaitoGhost said:

What nation is the captain for this time?

USN commander. It's one of the reasons I scrambled to get at least 4 stars so early. I needed a 10 point captain for my Farragut(the previous captain only had 7) since Ranked is right around the corner.

[Cooper_Capt]

OP   Lots of good info here.      7 Cruisers would be great but is there a max of 4 or 5?  

Form a perimeter around Raptor.   4 North/3 South.   As far as Outrunning Raptor to Exit should be doable as it makes 2 stops.   

Everyone watch the Mission Orders and read the AI chat messages as they tell you the next move.    

[Admiral_Thrawn_1]

Just curious was the CV a air superiority Ryugo? Lol that might have been me since I used a CAv and got 4 stars as well.

 

Yeah it sounds crazy to bring AS CV into an operation, but with the amount of planes those Ai forces put into the air it's kind of hard to keep skies clear with out a good AS CV player who is also using bombers to hit targets while at sane time stopping every enemy squadron before it reaches the ships you are escorting.

[CaptainKaitoGhost]

Fantastic.  I need anot her 10 point USN captain.

 

Now I just need to find a way to sneak off from all the visiting family this weekend... 

[GhostSwordsman]

1 minute ago, Admiral_Thrawn_1 said:

Just curious was the CV a air superiority Ryugo? Lol that might have been me since I used a CAv and got 4 stars as well.

 

Yeah it sounds crazy to bring AS CV into an operation, but with the amount of planes those Ai forces put into the air it's kind of hard to keep skies clear with out a good AS CV player who is also using bombers to hit targets while at sane time stopping every enemy squadron before it reaches the ships you are escorting.

No, it was just the upgraded Ryujo, 1/2/2. I don't think the player had all his aircraft upgraded either, as he had biplane DBs. One heck of a CV player that's for sure. If not for him we would have only gotten two or three stars as he was the one to take care of the bot CVs.

AS isn't the most optimal loadout in this operation, and actually not necessary in my opinion if your team comp. is AA and DF heavy. The CV will be better off being strike heavy while retaining a fighter squad, if only to keep the bot fighters off your bombers.

[Estimated_Prophet]

Two divebombers, two torpedo bombers, nuke the CVs into oblivion; end of problem. Let the AA cruisers deal with the planes that launch before you do so.

[Admiral_Thrawn_1]

Just now, GhostSwordsman said:

No, it was just the upgraded Ryujo, 1/2/2. I don't think the player had all his aircraft upgraded either, as he had biplane DBs. One heck of a CV player that's for sure. If not for him we would have only gotten two or three stars as he was the one to take care of the bot CVs.

AS isn't the most optimal loadout in this operation, and actually not necessary in my opinion if your team comp. is AA and DF heavy. The CV will be better off being strike heavy while retaining a fighter squad, if only to keep the bot fighters off your bombers.

Lol definately not me then since mine are upgraded and Captain has decent amount of skill points on him.

[Admiral_Thrawn_1]

1 minute ago, Estimated_Prophet said:

Two divebombers, two torpedo bombers, nuke the CVs into oblivion; end of problem. Let the AA cruisers deal with the planes that launch before you do so.

Only problem is if your team mates do not eat the fish there is high chance of one of the allied Ai ships getting hit or sunk. Even with me in the sky in AS CV still had a couple torps in what do just that, hate to think what would have happened if I had not shredded the rest of them since on these operations there has never been just 1 enemy CV, more like 2-4 of them all launching planes at once :)

[ExploratorOne]

On the PTS, I found it useful that I could move with the convoy and fight while in the green healing circle for a bit.  I believe this was mainly when we were on the last leg.  In Defense, you had to leave the battle to heal.  Also, it is a faster heal because there is more than one repair ship.

[Captain_Chaos_NA]

I found this one a little too easy myself.  Just follow the prompts with BB's staying close to the support ships and CV until she gets underway.  Lighter boats screen but stay with the pack.

 

I gotten 5 stars on every one on the first try, but the first mission was pretty tough, the others have been easy IMO.

[Estimated_Prophet]

2 hours ago, Admiral_Thrawn_1 said:

Only problem is if your team mates do not eat the fish there is high chance of one of the allied Ai ships getting hit or sunk. Even with me in the sky in AS CV still had a couple torps in what do just that, hate to think what would have happened if I had not shredded the rest of them since on these operations there has never been just 1 enemy CV, more like 2-4 of them all launching planes at once :)

 

In Killer Whale at least; I pretty much did what I said; (knowing the when and where helps of course,)  more often than not, the carriers DIED before they could make much of a nuisance of themselves.

 

1 hour ago, Captain_Chaos_NA said:

I found this one a little too easy myself.  Just follow the prompts with BB's staying close to the support ships and CV until she gets underway.  Lighter boats screen but stay with the pack.

 

I gotten 5 stars on every one on the first try, but the first mission was pretty tough, the others have been easy IMO.

 

Where are all these players with smarts? Maybe the same place as all the players who let themselves get farmed by carriers... In that case in particular; all I ever see as a carrier driver in Randoms is people who know how to defend themselves.

[dannyboy1939]

5 star first mission, have a CL/CA heavy team with a CV easy win, more BBs/DDs then CL/CAs it's gonna be rough. Guess cruisers are getting love in these operations so far, as they are the better boats to be in rule of thumb so far.

[Estimated_Prophet]

Quote

'yadda-yadda, this-and-that... it's easy...'

 

My personal experience so far can not lead one but to think otherwise... 

[Dodgy_Cookies]

A good DD driver can also carry the game, especially in Farragut. I just did a 4 star game with 1 BB 5 CLs and 1 DD. Good smoke management is key to the team not losing HP too early and can also lead new players into where they are supposed to be.

[GhostSwordsman]

Just finished another 4 star round. This time the team comp looked like this:

• 2 BB, both New Mexico's
• 2 Cleveland, 1 Aoba, 1 Omaha
• Myself in Farragut

The mission was fairly doable, but it would have been 5 stars if we'd had a player CV, that Ryujo got away because it's not quite close enough to stay spotted and has a lot of bots between it and Raptor. It almost didn't work, but I had played the mission 3 times prior so I knew when and where to lay smoke for Raptor and the convoy and where the enemies were going to come from. Also, we had two ships go chasing the Zuiho off in the south, which didn't help much because one was a Cleveland and the other was one of our two New Mexico's.

I almost died a number of times due to the AI prioritizing DDs and cruisers first. I had little time to repair damage via Liberty and it would have been much easier had another Farragut been in the match so we could switch point when needed.

 

I'm certain now that having a T6 CV is necessary, as in the two losses in the initial first three runs I made included one no-CV team and one with a T5 Zuiho. This most recent run was nearly lost because we only had allied bot aircraft to help, and it's extremely difficult to get to the bot CVs without using your own air power. Raptor nor the allied bot CV in the convoy will go after the enemy CVs.

[Eisennagel]

 

 

I managed to 5 star it in my second run.  Thanks to my Koenig.

 

I didn't remember having carriers or destroyers at that time.  Just battleships and cruisers.

 

I am complete now with all the 10 point captains.

 

 

[Eisennagel]

3 hours ago, CaptainKaitoGhost said:

What nation is the captain for this time?

 

US.