A Few Questions from a Newbie

[Sweet_Kaiser_Roll]

Hi!

 

I (quite obviously) have just started out in Warships, and I've got a few questions for those more experienced than myself. In theory, this should be the right place, eh? My highest tier ship is Tier III, the Kolberg cruiser. My only experience with Warships is what I've seen from The Mighty Jingles and my handful of games so far. So I thought I might ask a few questions to see where I'm at and where to go from here:

 

1. My plans are to go down the German Battleship, Japanese Destroyer, and American Cruiser lines. Most of this comes from what I've seen in Jingles replays. Japanese destroyers seem to be the best at sneaky torpedo attacks, which I like the idea of. German battleships because a. I'm a German fanboy and I want a Bismarck and b. Because they seem balanced overall. American cruisers are also the most well-rounded looking, which is what cruisers tend to be. Any advice with these plans? What's the best way to play each line, and are they more/less noob friendly?

 

2. My best game so far was in the Dresden. I pulled down just short of 51,000 damage, 4 kills, lots of fires and citadels. I only won that one because I was 10 points ahead when time ran out while I played hide-n-seek with a St. Louis. Is this a decent game for a tier II ship? I'm not entirely up to speed on how much damage is good.

 

3. Any advice you can give me is much appreciated! I'm a newbie, but I want to get good before I become one of those high tier noobs you see in Youtube videos. (You know the ones I'm talking about, battleships sailing in straight lines, etc.)

 

Cheers,

 

Sweet_Kaiser_Roll 

[Vainglorious_]

Interested in the responses myself 

[Sweet_Kaiser_Roll]

1 minute ago, Vainglorious_ said:

Interested in the responses myself 

Now, we wait. 

[Kingfishercritic]

Hmm.... Well, German Battleships aren't too bad of a line to learn on. They preform best when played aggressively and played at relatively close distances. The guns reload quickly on most of them, sometimes by as much as 10 seconds faster than the guns of other ships at their tier, and they still hit hard. That being said, their guns don't really get very accurate until tier 5 really, and even then they often have the worst dispersion for their tier. Even so, they still are reasonably accurate once you get into mid- upper tiers.

 

American cruisers are a little rough. Only the tier 4 and 5 have torps, and their AP is average at best. American cruisers do have excellent HE shells, and low shell velocities, which makes shooting over and/or behind cover easier... but hitting anything will take practice. They also get radar pretty early, and have good rates of fire for their guns, so they can burn battleships and hunt destroyers rather well. 

 

IJN destroyers are kinda.... in a odd.... place meta wise at higher tiers at the moment. At mid to low tier on the other hand, they are excellent at torping at fairly long ranges and have passible guns for the tier. They are great damage dealers, but have poor AA until higher tiers. The Akizuki is great fun, and that's the tier 8 in the alternate line. It's got 8 100mm guns with each firing at 20rpm. So even though it has a low fire chance, it can start many fires and does excellent damage given the opportunity.  Sadly, WG keeps nerfing the IJN torps, so keep that in mind when playing a line that largely revolves around torpedo use.

 

All of those lines are and can be fun, it's just dependent on the way you play.

 

[Grevester]

IJN DD tend to be the least reliable option in terms of results, but it will help you get a better understanding of what torps or like and that knowledge will transfer well into BBs. German BBs are durable, but are inaccurate. With their hydro in 8 and above they will get you accustomed to playing more mid range aggressively which will help when you explore other BB lines. USN cruisers are probably the hardest line you have chosen. They favor a more close range pick your battles type play, and close range can be very punishing as a cruiser. A missed opponent, unprecedented torp attack or misplay can ruin you. 

 

I would say, continue down each line until you start seeing a plateau of performance. If you can't overcome it, open up a new line in that class and work up again.

[Kapitan_Wuff]

8 minutes ago, Sweet_Kaiser_Roll said:

 

1. My plans are to go down the German Battleship, Japanese Destroyer, and American Cruiser lines. Most of this comes from what I've seen in Jingles replays. Japanese destroyers seem to be the best at sneaky torpedo attacks, which I like the idea of. German battleships because a. I'm a German fanboy and I want a Bismarck and b. Because they seem balanced overall. American cruisers are also the most well-rounded looking, which is what cruisers tend to be. Any advice with these plans? What's the best way to play each line, and are they more/less noob friendly?

 

2. My best game so far was in the Dresden. I pulled down just short of 51,000 damage, 4 kills, lots of fires and citadels. I only won that one because I was 10 points ahead when time ran out while I played hide-n-seek with a St. Louis. Is this a decent game for a tier II ship? I'm not entirely up to speed on how much damage is good.

 

3. Any advice you can give me is much appreciated! I'm a newbie, but I want to get good before I become one of those high tier noobs you see in Youtube videos. (You know the ones I'm talking about, battleships sailing in straight lines, etc.)

 

Cheers,

 

Sweet_Kaiser_Roll 

1) Be sure to give all the lines a try, I ended up loving ships I never though I would and not as into some I thought were going to be my mains. Having said that, KMS BBs are great the Gniesanau and Bismark are absolute gems and I'd say that KMS BBs are pretty forgiving/noob friendly. IJN DDs are the stealthily but not sure they are the best torpedo boats anymore and they can't gunfight either. Personally this line is one I got board with. Being a good IJN DD takes a lot a patience. USN CLs are alright, not my favorite cruisers but they are fine. St. Louis is a keeper, the Cleveland is great fun, and I actually liked the Pensacola too (such nice guns) but I kinda go board with them and stalled out at the New Orleans.

 

2) Yea, thats a good game at t2.  How much damage is good is relative to the ship type your in and the tier your at. It's really more about what is good for you.

 

3) Just play, best way to learn.  Ask questions and be willing to adapt and try new tactics. 

 

See you out there!

[SgtBeltfed]

That's what got me started, check out some of the guides on the forumns, and check out guides from iChase and some others.

 

1. German Battleships are forgiving, they're not effective at sniping, have good speed at higher tiers, and are best used for brawling.

    US Navy cruisers have good guns in good turrets, excellent AA, ok speed (for cruisers) and have nothing else going for them. They've got nothing bad about them that they don't share with other cruisers (sudden cruiser death syndrome affects all cruisers that go broadside to battleships)

    IJN DD's are very hit or miss, in general they have ok guns in terrible turrets, the torps go a long way and hurt a lot when they hit, but are visible from far enough away that they are fairly easy to dodge. They have good stealth, good speed, and generally good at turning.

 

2. 51k damage in a tier 2 isn't bad, and you didn't get into a slugging match with a Saint Louis, so you're thinking, all very good signs. I think your fairly safe from being featured "Stupid Noob Captains"

[Sweet_Kaiser_Roll]

4 minutes ago, Pulicat said:

IJN DD tend to be the least reliable option in terms of results, but it will help you get a better understanding of what torps or like and that knowledge will transfer well into BBs. German BBs are durable, but are inaccurate. With their hydro in 8 and above they will get you accustomed to playing more mid range aggressively which will help when you explore other BB lines. USN cruisers are probably the hardest line you have chosen. They favor a more close range pick your battles type play, and close range can be very punishing as a cruiser. A missed opponent, unprecedented torp attack or misplay can ruin you. 

 

I would say, continue down each line until you start seeing a plateau of performance. If you can't overcome it, open up a new line in that class and work up again.

 

5 minutes ago, Kingfishercritic said:

Hmm.... Well, German Battleships aren't too bad of a line to learn on. They preform best when played aggressively and played at relatively close distances. The guns reload quickly on most of them, sometimes by as much as 10 seconds faster than the guns of other ships at their tier, and they still hit hard. That being said, their guns don't really get very accurate until tier 5 really, and even then they often have the worst dispersion for their tier. Even so, they still are reasonably accurate once you get into mid- upper tiers.

 

American cruisers are a little rough. Only the tier 4 and 5 have torps, and their AP is average at best. American cruisers do have excellent HE shells, and low shell velocities, which makes shooting over and/or behind cover easier... but hitting anything will take practice. They also get radar pretty early, and have good rates of fire for their guns, so they can burn battleships and hunt destroyers rather well. 

 

IJN destroyers are kinda.... in a odd.... place meta wise at higher tiers at the moment. At mid to low tier on the other hand, they are excellent at torping at fairly long ranges and have passible guns for the tier. They are great damage dealers, but have poor AA until higher tiers. The Akizuki is great fun, and that's the tier 8 in the alternate line. It's got 8 100mm guns with each firing at 20rpm. So even though it has a low fire chance, it can start many fires and does excellent damage given the opportunity.  Sadly, WG keeps nerfing the IJN torps, so keep that in mind when playing a line that largely revolves around torpedo use.

 

All of those lines are and can be fun, it's just dependent on the way you play.

 

Thanks for the advice. I noticed the German battleships aren't known for their main battery accuracy, but no battleship really is. Looking ahead, the IJN destroyers look like they're about hit and run ambush style attacks. Weak guns aren't exactly a turn on though. As for USN crisers, they do seem difficult, more so than the rest of the bunch for sure. I suppose it's a bit of a learning curve

[Grevester]

2 minutes ago, Sweet_Kaiser_Roll said:

 

Thanks for the advice. I noticed the German battleships aren't known for their main battery accuracy, but no battleship really is. Looking ahead, the IJN destroyers look like they're about hit and run ambush style attacks. Weak guns aren't exactly a turn on though. As for USN crisers, they do seem difficult, more so than the rest of the bunch for sure. I suppose it's a bit of a learning curve

Ironically, for all the people who have said that the US are the worst nation ever since i've started playing, now that I have pretty much everything the US have some of the strongest high tier options in the game. US DDs are only inferior to russian dds in my mind.

[desmo_2]

Man, I have a hard time recommending a single line of ships.  If your goal is to reach a Tier 10, there are certainly Tier 10's you could aim for...but again, preference varies from player to player.

I would recommend IJN cruisers.  They are very versatile, with good torps and good fire chances.  Their AP is and anti-air is a bit lacking.

I would recommend USN destroyers (but also IJN DD's).  USN has the best mix of guns, torps and durability, at the expense of concealment.  IJN destroyers have excellent concealment and torps, but weak guns.  How do you want to DD?

Battleships are a tough call for me.  I like them all in one way or another.  My first T10 will be Yamato.  While I haven't gotten above T8 with the USN, there are some great BB's in that line (as long as you don't like going fast).  German BB's are tanks with great secondaries, but dispersion can get frustrating.

So, enjoy the journey and have fun! 

[pewpewpew42]

25 minutes ago, Sweet_Kaiser_Roll said:

Hi!

 

I (quite obviously) have just started out in Warships, and I've got a few questions for those more experienced than myself. In theory, this should be the right place, eh? My highest tier ship is Tier III, the Kolberg cruiser. My only experience with Warships is what I've seen from The Mighty Jingles and my handful of games so far. So I thought I might ask a few questions to see where I'm at and where to go from here:

 

1. My plans are to go down the German Battleship, Japanese Destroyer, and American Cruiser lines. Most of this comes from what I've seen in Jingles replays. Japanese destroyers seem to be the best at sneaky torpedo attacks, which I like the idea of. German battleships because a. I'm a German fanboy and I want a Bismarck and b. Because they seem balanced overall. American cruisers are also the most well-rounded looking, which is what cruisers tend to be. Any advice with these plans? What's the best way to play each line, and are they more/less noob friendly?

 

2. My best game so far was in the Dresden. I pulled down just short of 51,000 damage, 4 kills, lots of fires and citadels. I only won that one because I was 10 points ahead when time ran out while I played hide-n-seek with a St. Louis. Is this a decent game for a tier II ship? I'm not entirely up to speed on how much damage is good.

 

3. Any advice you can give me is much appreciated! I'm a newbie, but I want to get good before I become one of those high tier noobs you see in Youtube videos. (You know the ones I'm talking about, battleships sailing in straight lines, etc.)

 

Cheers,

 

Sweet_Kaiser_Roll 

 

1. Give everything a try. I really didn't think I'd like Russian cruisers, but I've loved every single one. For battleships, Germans are the most forgiving. Cruisers are between American and Japanese, since they deal good damage and have decent protection. Destroyers is probably Americans or Germans since they use both guns and torps.

 

Don't try carriers until you have ~500 games under your belt.

 

2. That's nothing short of spectacular. I have games in T8 or T9 where I don't reach that. I like to aim for (Tier * 10k) for damage

 

3. Play a punishing line (French or British cruisers perhaps) or ship (Kuma maybe) for a bit. Teach yourself to not show broadside the hard way. Get to know how radar works so you don't come on here and whine. While it's not perfect, it's here to stay. As you develop your situational awareness, be on the lookout for ways to help your allies, it's well worth your time.

[Mizzerys_Fate]

US cruisers are really tuff to play.

Omaha sees tier 7 and is food.

Cleveland gets outraged.

Pepsi, if played correct is good, but a one shot pinata for most ships.

Offer that, until tier 10, a ton of skill is required due to short range. They get focused on because of their radar.

 

You might enjoy IJN OR RU cruiser line better. Great range and great fire starters.

[Uber_Ghost]

33 minutes ago, Sweet_Kaiser_Roll said:

Hi!

 

I (quite obviously) have just started out in Warships, and I've got a few questions for those more experienced than myself. In theory, this should be the right place, eh? My highest tier ship is Tier III, the Kolberg cruiser. My only experience with Warships is what I've seen from The Mighty Jingles and my handful of games so far. So I thought I might ask a few questions to see where I'm at and where to go from here:

 

1. My plans are to go down the German Battleship, Japanese Destroyer, and American Cruiser lines. Most of this comes from what I've seen in Jingles replays. Japanese destroyers seem to be the best at sneaky torpedo attacks, which I like the idea of. German battleships because a. I'm a German fanboy and I want a Bismarck and b. Because they seem balanced overall. American cruisers are also the most well-rounded looking, which is what cruisers tend to be. Any advice with these plans? What's the best way to play each line, and are they more/less noob friendly?

 

2. My best game so far was in the Dresden. I pulled down just short of 51,000 damage, 4 kills, lots of fires and citadels. I only won that one because I was 10 points ahead when time ran out while I played hide-n-seek with a St. Louis. Is this a decent game for a tier II ship? I'm not entirely up to speed on how much damage is good.

 

3. Any advice you can give me is much appreciated! I'm a newbie, but I want to get good before I become one of those high tier noobs you see in Youtube videos. (You know the ones I'm talking about, battleships sailing in straight lines, etc.)

 

Cheers,

 

Sweet_Kaiser_Roll 

I started in January so I'm still a relative newbie.  I'll make you a list.

 

1.  If you did not start via a friend referral then I'd reboot...assuming you're not too invested already.  The rewards are useful for a beginner.  I wish I had.

2. I started on the KM and IJN BB's lines.  I solely concentrated on the KM BB line (and abandoned IJN) at tier 5 simply because it was more logical to allocate all my limited resources into one target.

3. I highly recommend learning the BB class first.  It teaches you aiming, strategy, and situational awareness at a far more digestible pace.

4. Nothing you do below say tier IV non-premium (and really tier 6 is where many lines start to evolve) has any relevance in what class/line you will prefer.  Only experience using a ship or fighting against one will open that door.

5. I exclusively stuck with the KM BB line a bit too long.  I did not try to run any other ship until I had the tier IX FDR.  This was a mistake.  I love the line, but have found that I also love DD's and CA/CL's.  Which leads to...

6. Do not be in a rush to grind up to the high tiers in any one line at this point.

7. Credits will be your most limited resource.  It will limit you in many aspects.  Find a good, comfortable tier V or VI ship and use it to make money.  You need to like it because the matchmaking at that tier level is painful and often frustrating.  But, you will learn hard lessons fast.  You will keep this ship.  Do not sell. Losing money or making very little in tier 7+ games is a problem for a new player.  Although it is a tempting short term cash source, do not sell that tier VI ship to jump to tier VII.  Keep it and earn that money, you'll need it for...    

8. Do not be afraid to start up a DD line...even if it limits your BB grind...when you hit tier VI.

9. The same goes for CA/CL's, although I think it's wiser to save this class for last.  You really need to understand the BB's and DD's roles/tactics before you can really appreciate this class.  You'll also have far more patience with instant deletions since you will have handed out some yourself.  Finally, using the map for cover...a vital aspect for Cruiser well being...is one of those skills that cannot be picked up via Youtube or researched.  You gotta log the hours to learn it.

10. Once you start spending real money for shortcuts, premium ships, doubloons....it will be hard to stop.  Fight the urge as long as possible since there simply isn't a way to know how to spend it best until you know who and what you are in this game.  Also, people absolutely loathe new players in high tier premiums.  

11. Do not be discouraged if you get absolutely wrecked by more experienced players.  Learn from them.  You're time to seal club will come.

 

I could go on...but this seems like a decent primer...

[senseNOTmade]

1. Like everybody has said, German BBs are fun and forgiving of many mistakes. They are brawlers which work well with secondary-focused builds.

Destroyers in general are considered difficult, and IJN destroyers have been nerfed a lot. They are, however, a lot of fun to play.

American cruisers change a lot across the line.

The StLouis at tier 3 is very well armorer and has lots of guns, and encourages a damage-over-time playstyle. You can wipe out destroyers as long as you are smart with predicting when they fire their torpedoes. You can kill cruisers with AP citadels if they show their broadsides, and in battles of attrition due to your armour, if you angle well. You want to avoid fighting battleships, but if you do, then I suggest staying at maximum range, firing HE and setting fires, while watching for when they fire their guns and dodging out of the way.

The Phoenix and Omaha are unusually normal ships for the USN cruiser line. Your armour is weak, your guns are ok at best but you do get torpedoes. I would suggest trying to avoid all BBs except when you can torpedo them. You can kinda fight other cruisers, but only if you are smart about angling and get a few citadels. Honestly, I would just focus on bullying destroyers.

The cleveland at tier 6 is a great ship and kinda similar to the StLouis. It has decent armour (at least against other cruisers, so angle against them), no torpedoes, and great damage output. Again, you can bully destroyers as long as you are smart about not being torpedoed, you can kill cruisers in battles of attrition or with AP citadels, and you can burn down battleships as long as you are either hiding behind an island (note the high firing arcs) or dodging their shots at maximum range.

The Pensacola, often called the Pepsi-cola, made me invent a lot of jokes about returning the scrap metal from the ship to a paper mill for recycling. It is perhaps the most fragile ship in the game (more fragile than destroyers) because it has a citadel and just enough armour that shells are armed but do not bounce. It does, however, have great guns and maneuverability, so stay at range and burn down BBs. Just expect to get LOL-deleted every so often.

From tier 8+, USN cruisers have no torpedoes, but radar, hydro and great AP. Use this to help your DDs cap by spotting the enemy destroyers in their smoke and spotting their torpedoes. You are a destroyer hunting machine. You can also delete other cruisers with your great AP shells. You want to avoid BBs though, as your armour is too weak to bounce their shells and at these tiers, their fire is accurate enough to delete you from any angle from at least 15km away.

 

Overall, I'd agree with the others that playing cruiser is tough. With the meta so full of BBs things really aren't looking great for them.

 

2. "How much damage is good" depends on what you are damaging. If you are shooting only at BBs, then 50k damage at tier 4 translates into 1 kill. If you do 100k damage at tier 10, it translates into 1 BB kill. Do 100k damage to destroyers, on the other hand, means you've killed about 6 players. At tier 2, when only facing cruisers and destroyers, 50k damage is an excellent game.

3. If you ever decide to play aircraft carrier, play the IJN CVs. The USN CVs are waaayyy underpowered. Also, watch some guides before you start, and again before you unlock the tier 6 CV, as things change A LOT then. Otherwise, don't show your broadside, be aware of where on the map you can have an impact and where your team needs you, and as a BB player, don't sit at the back of the map while your team dies, even if you get higher damage while doing it. Damage isn't everything- potential damage, teamwork and capping also matter.

[Sovereigndawg]

@Sweet_Kaiser_Roll

If you are not above service level 3 you can use this link to get 2 premium ships as you progress. you have to be level 3 and of course not been invited by some one all ready. https://playtogether.worldofwarships.com/invite/xxEVbe1

All ships come with a free Port slot and a Commander with three Skills.

USS Texas comes with these additional rewards:

Port slot
3,000,000 Credits
80,000 Free XP
25 of every type of Signal Flag

In order to receive rewards like Signal Flags, you'll need to be Service Record level 8. To receive Free XP, then you must be Service Record level 5.

Hope you are not above level 3 yet and can use the link, You get the Texas when you play 1 battle at tier six. GL.

[Sweet_Kaiser_Roll]

12 hours ago, Sovereigndawg said:

@Sweet_Kaiser_Roll

If you are not above service level 3 you can use this link to get 2 premium ships as you progress. you have to be level 3 and of course not been invited by some one all ready. https://playtogether.worldofwarships.com/invite/xxEVbe1

All ships come with a free Port slot and a Commander with three Skills.

USS Texas comes with these additional rewards:

Port slot
3,000,000 Credits
80,000 Free XP
25 of every type of Signal Flag

In order to receive rewards like Signal Flags, you'll need to be Service Record level 8. To receive Free XP, then you must be Service Record level 5.

Hope you are not above level 3 yet and can use the link, You get the Texas when you play 1 battle at tier six. GL.

Unfortunately I was well above Level 3 by this point. However, thanks for the invite code, because it wasn't all that catastrophic to merely start a new account using the code and gain the benefits anyway! Thanks for the help!