Ranked Tips

[Usedcarjock]

Now this may be just because I am low ranked at the moment, but some things I am seeing are really starting to grind my gears.

So here are some quick tips:

1. DO NOT bring a stock ship. I have come across numerous matches with teammates who brought stock Clevelands, New Mexicos you name it. It is more detrimental than you think. Not only do you have lower HP, but your firepower, AA, and Maneuverability lack significantly. 

2. Premium Consumables. That shorter cooldown on damage control helps tremendously, as does the other consumables like the spotter plane, or hydro search. They are relatively cheap so don't worry about your wallet, just use them(Disclaimer: DC is the premium consumable you always want to use. The other one's while extremely helpful are not as important as DC)!

3. Flags and Camo. While not as important as a non-stock ship, flags and camo give your ships boosts in firepower, survivability, and credit income that make you an even great asset to the team. Heck, the rewards you get in the rank season are flags and camos, so there is even less of an excuse!

4. Communication. Communication is key! Let people know what you are doing, whether it be where you are scouting, laying smoke, or capping. The more in tune you are with your team the greater chance you will come out on top. Support your allied ships. Move as a team. Focus targets. 

5. AP vs HE. Learn when to use the correct ammo type. Angled ship coming towards or away? HE. Broadside cruiser? AP. Now of course it isn't all cut and dry, but doing this can reward you with tasty citadels, and will net you a few kills as well.

6. Patience. In Ranked battles every ship matters. That may sound cliche but it's true. More so than ranked, one ship means a lot. The team that loses a ship early on more often than not has to fight an uphill battle that becomes almost unwinnable. Now that is not to say you should give up if this happens. However, think through your decisions before you make them, they mean a lot more in the scope of the match than in Randoms where one lost ship is more or less irrelevant, at least to the point of making a comeback.

7. Lastly enjoy yourself. Ranked battles can get people's knickers in a twist, and the last thing you want to do is stress out about every game you play. If you lose 2 or 3 in a row, stop playing and take a break. The amount of tilt one can have in this position is greater than you could imagine. 

These tips may seem trivial and logical, but there are people out there that don't think twice about it, and at the end of the day it would not only improve their game, but their team's game as well.

 

P.S. Sorry for any grammar mistakes, at 1:40 am I'm not too keen on remembering High School English.

[Lord_Zath]

Good tips!

[RivertheRoyal]

[RedSeaBear]

9 minutes ago, RivertheRoyal said:

 

No worries RtR I got you covered. Still have a few left over. 

[212thAttackBattalion]

another tip that i want to add after something i witnessed in my last match: Do NOT play ranked while drunk to the point that your typing is incoherent and you can't tell friend from foe. it only ends badly for everyone involved.

[RivertheRoyal]

12 minutes ago, 212thAttackBattalion said:

another tip that i want to add after something i witnessed in my last match: Do NOT play ranked while drunk to the point that your typing is incoherent and you can't tell friend from foe. it only ends badly for everyone involved.

 

But just a little's fine, right? To better tolerate whatever sort of teammates you get....

 

[212thAttackBattalion]

Just now, RivertheRoyal said:

 

But just a little's fine, right? To better tolerate whatever sort of teammates you get....

 

nothing wrong with a little, moderation is key to enjoying alcohol..... just not to that extent I mean full on plastered, near passing out.

[RivertheRoyal]

1 minute ago, 212thAttackBattalion said:

nothing wrong with a little, moderation is key to enjoying alcohol..... just not to that extent I mean full on plastered, near passing out.

 

[212thAttackBattalion]

Just now, RivertheRoyal said:

 

leaked gif of RtR after 1 wine?

[RivertheRoyal]

9 hours ago, 212thAttackBattalion said:

leaked gif of RtR after 1 wine?

 

I have actually had a singular wine, and can verify it's more like this at the moment:

 

 

[m373x]

I sailed with stock consumables in my first battle this season 

[Rev_Humpjoy]

10 hours ago, 212thAttackBattalion said:

another tip that i want to add after something i witnessed in my last match: Do NOT play ranked while drunk to the point that your typing is incoherent and you can't tell friend from foe. it only ends badly for everyone involved.

Drunk ships is best ships

[_ENO_]

Wouldn't mind some gameplay tips too- in particular a few highlighting the difference between caps and killing. 

 

Seems torn... some think capping is worth not killing... other people think killing is the whole thing. Can someone elaborate on that aspect? 

[Usedcarjock]

 

45 minutes ago, ENO75 said:

Wouldn't mind some gameplay tips too- in particular a few highlighting the difference between caps and killing. 

 

Seems torn... some think capping is worth not killing... other people think killing is the whole thing. Can someone elaborate on that aspect? 

Howdy there ENO! Id be happy to help you with that.

1. Priority targets. Damage in it of itself is not a good gauge on how effective you are as a teammate. Sure you may have whittled a BB's hp down a bit with fire, but that DD 3 km from you just took the cap circle and deleted your DD in smoke. Now you are down a DD and have no spotter for when things get tough. However, if said Bb is about to die, say 4-5k hp remaining, absolutely focus him down. A ship with low hp still has the potential to delete ships!

2. Bases vs Kills. This is one of the trickiest things to understand and depends completely on the situation and in my opinion ship makeup. If teams are primarily DDs, I'd say wiping out their ships would be the way to go. However if the makeup is primarily BB's I'd recommend focusing caps because those can turn into drawn out slugfests. 

3. Defense vs Offense. Sometimes the best defense is a good offense and vice versa. If your team is heavy on cruisers and DDs, id take the offensive approach. If you have BBs and CA's I'd take a defensive approach especially if you have Clevelands. Set up behind islands and light the enemy up as they come to you. Just make sure you aren't stock!

4. Never give up never surrender! Even if you are on the verge of losing, make your best effort to do some damage, take a cap, and be productive. The top player on the losing team does not lose a star if the game is lost! Also a come from behind victory is always glorious!

[_ENO_]

Thanks jock- 

 

One scenario where things get heated is when there is an open cap... and 2-3 ships from both teams fighting over the cap that's already been taken by either side. 

 

If you're in a DD or a fast cruiser- is it worth darting away to capture the uncontested point? Or do you stick with your guys and try to beat them over the contested one?  

 

I guess a lot of it depends on whether or not ALL remaining ships are contesting the one cap... or if one has been unaccounted for for a bit. Are they going after the cap? Is that one AFK? 

 

You're getting points for capping- but also getting points for killing. If it's 3-3 for a contested cap, and a cap remains completely open... do you make it a 2-3 and grab that other cap... or do you slug it out? 

 

 

[Granitebeard]

13 hours ago, Usedcarjock said:

7. Lastly enjoy yourself. Ranked battles can get people's knickers in a twist, and the last thing you want to do is stress out about every game you play. If you lose 2 or 3 in a row, stop playing and take a break. The amount of tilt one can have in this position is greater than you could imagine.

AKA don't even start playing. I wasted 9 games worth of my life this season. Pretty sure that will be last games I ever put into ranked. First season made it to rank 2, can't stand the up and down of it now due to potato lords playing in it. Not that I am the best, but I at least understand the mechanics enough to not just sit a long range or swing wide around a cap or go the long way around an island. There is no way to enjoy playing the game while in ranked.

[Usedcarjock]

19 minutes ago, ENO75 said:

Thanks jock- 

 

One scenario where things get heated is when there is an open cap... and 2-3 ships from both teams fighting over the cap that's already been taken by either side. 

 

If you're in a DD or a fast cruiser- is it worth darting away to capture the uncontested point? Or do you stick with your guys and try to beat them over the contested one?  

 

I guess a lot of it depends on whether or not ALL remaining ships are contesting the one cap... or if one has been unaccounted for for a bit. Are they going after the cap? Is that one AFK? 

 

You're getting points for capping- but also getting points for killing. If it's 3-3 for a contested cap, and a cap remains completely open... do you make it a 2-3 and grab that other cap... or do you slug it out? 

 

 

It depends. Can you still damage enemies while taking the cap? Or does taking the cap take you out of action? Losing a ship is going to have a huge immediate impact on the game, much more so than a cap. So ultimately if you cannot hit enemies, don't do it. However if you can still damage the red team and cap, absolutely take the initiative and do it.

[inktomi19d]

13 minutes ago, ENO75 said:

Thanks jock- 

 

One scenario where things get heated is when there is an open cap... and 2-3 ships from both teams fighting over the cap that's already been taken by either side. 

 

If you're in a DD or a fast cruiser- is it worth darting away to capture the uncontested point? Or do you stick with your guys and try to beat them over the contested one?  

 

I guess a lot of it depends on whether or not ALL remaining ships are contesting the one cap... or if one has been unaccounted for for a bit. Are they going after the cap? Is that one AFK? 

 

You're getting points for capping- but also getting points for killing. If it's 3-3 for a contested cap, and a cap remains completely open... do you make it a 2-3 and grab that other cap... or do you slug it out? 

 

 

For a DD, it depends on the quality of your smoke and whether it's on cooldown. A Farragut should stick with its team and smoke them. In an Anshan, it would depend on the exact situation. 

[Usedcarjock]

4 minutes ago, Granitebeard said:

AKA don't even start playing. I wasted 9 games worth of my life this season. Pretty sure that will be last games I ever put into ranked. First season made it to rank 2, can't stand the up and down of it now due to potato lords playing in it. Not that I am the best, but I at least understand the mechanics enough to not just sit a long range or swing wide around a cap or go the long way around an island. There is no way to enjoy playing the game while in ranked.

I understand, ranked surely isn't for everyone. Ranked has this kind of effect on people because potatoes really standout on teams, since there are half of what a team of ransoms is. Thus a potato in Randoms is less noticeable than a potato in Ranked. Regardeless you will still have game where things just don't work out, and that's ok! If it is that much of a burden don't play it, but don't also don't go into a Ranked with the preconceived notion that every team your on is a potato. If that's the case you may want to look in the mirror.

[AWarmToiletSeat]

If you decided to play a destroyer please do not drive into a cap, smoke and proceed to sit in said smoke, you are your teams eyes don't deny us sight if there is no immediate threat to your ship.

[Lord_Adm_Nelson]

I was playing all my T6 BB's in random the last week, my first couple of games where OK.  I am in a bit of a quandary though, my strategy with DD's is better than BB's, but individually I am better with BB's if that makes sense.

I understand what it takes to win, a DD can shift that faster than a committed BB. Most matches I have had today only had 1 DD and being taken out early is no good especially in a BB heavy game.

I played Farragut and Shinonome, The Gut is a better team ship with the better smoke I think, if people would actually not sail through it and just let me spot for them.

[Usedcarjock]

1 minute ago, Lord_Adm_Nelson said:

I was playing all my T6 BB's in random the last week, my first couple of games where OK.  I am in a bit of a quandary though, my strategy with DD's is better than BB's, but individually I am better with BB's if that makes sense.

I understand what it takes to win, a DD can shift that faster than a committed BB. Most matches I have had today only had 1 DD and being taken out early is no good especially in a BB heavy game.

I played Farragut and Shinonome, The Gut is a better team ship with the better smoke I think, if people would actually not sail through it and just let me spot for them.

Play what YOU do bests in. If that's a BB play a BB. If it's a cruiser play that. The more comfortable with a ship type, the more you understand the risks you can take. Every ship is valuable, but even more so with a captain that knows their ship inside and out. DDs can be powerful, but require a lot of team play to make it so. BBs are inherently powerful and require less teamwork to whittle down the enemy. I personally play with the Cleveland and Arizona because I know those ship types the best. 

[inktomi19d]

3 minutes ago, CesilTheDiddler said:

If you decided to play a destroyer please do not drive into a cap, smoke and proceed to sit in said smoke, you are your teams eyes don't deny us sight if there is no immediate threat to your ship.

Absolutely. 

 

And the the team needs to understand that the DD wins or loses the match, so big ships need to be close enough to bully anything that fires on them. 

[Usedcarjock]

3 minutes ago, inktomi19d said:

Absolutely. 

 

And the the team needs to understand that the DD wins or loses the match, so big ships need to be close enough to bully anything that fires on them. 

And as soon as you get opened up on, get the heck out of there pronto. Don't stick around dueling a DD, run away and disappear!

[inktomi19d]

1 minute ago, Usedcarjock said:

And as soon as you get opened up on, get the heck out of there pronto. Don't stick around dueling a DD, run away and disappear!

Oh yeah, that too. 

 

Ive just been seeing a lot of matches where I lay smoke down 10km from where he enemy will be, then get out front to screen and spot, and my team is all behind an island or sitting broadside 20km back.