Helping A Newbie With Selections

[Swung_Rook]

My question is fairly simple. I very much enjoy running heavy fighter loadouts and absolutely shutting out opposing aircraft. While striking does have it's moments, air supremacy is far more my speed.

Currently, over the course of a very long time (when I started Arkansas Betas were still running around constantly), I managed to get myself into the Shokaku and have been fairly well able to shut out most carriers I run against with my fighters and a little bit of skill.

I'm curious - do I abandon ship now and switch to the US line to help dominate the skies? Do I pick up the Enterprise on sale (gotta love the Enterprise) and see if her air supremacy kit is better than I'm thinking? Do I stick with my Jap CVs AS loadout and continue down the path to the 4 squads of the Haku? What do you guys think?

 

(P.S. - I'm not against buying the Saipan to run the AS loadout. If you think she's the most fun to dominate the skies with, I'm happy to pick her up.)

[Masingi]

Do both lines that's what I do. The US line has the most and best fighter WG seems to push US CVs to do the air supremacy gameplay. 

[Beorn_of_the_NorthernSea]

Grab all of them...  Like a Pokemon, you gotta get 'em all!

 

~B

[WanderingGhost]

If I recall correctly, E has 5 (6 with AS) tier 7 USN fighters. Put in perspective, you with AS vs Shokaku with AS, he has 22% chance a second to down aircraft, you have 20, which is pretty close given your 1 tier lower. Add in the DFE skill, that boosts your already higher ammo count as well now, you match him and have an extra plane. And that doesn't throw in any of the other damage/ammo/HP buffs. Lex fighters 1v1 are the only real threat if they have AS as well, but if you use strafe, well, that broke mechanic removes that problem. TB's, some players hate them, others don't. DB's, AP over pens DD's and lighter cruisers, can devastate BB's and heavier cruisers. HE, what I read same as Ranger/Lex drop so yeah, that with a plane less kinda not as effective. Note though, I don't own one. I'm going off what I know of the ship and stats.

 

Saipan - It's pretty OP, it is 7 levels of troll on a scale to 5. Again, base fighter numbers with AS numbers - Hiryu vs you, about 15% chance per second to down a plane. Ranger, 20%. You vs Hiryu, 19%, vs Ranger, bout 18%Rangers real edge is that it gets those extra planes per group, but AS Saipan has that spare group to double team at least 1 group if they bring AS. Where these become areal threat, or at least Ranger as Hiyru and Kaga are still minimal is with the DFE skill, Hiryu matching closer to your numbers, still under, and Ranger at 25% with still room to maybe improve more. But again, double team can even the odds, and strafe favours Saipan especially exit strafe as it loses no planes. I pull this out, I'm annoyed at someone or just getting my first win XP and some extra credits.

 

USN well, lets take the Lex you likely face a lot. Lex built fighters vs Shokaku - Shokaku has a 22% chance of knocking a Lex plane out of the air with it's 5. Lex's planes vs Shokaku's is 29% which is why fighters tangle, Lex basically always wins, it has more planes, a higher shoot down chance, and DPS as it loses planes drops slower. And really, same throughout the line, save maybe the higher tiers when IJN can actually double team to try and win, Even though USN maintains an edge because it can more likely get the first kill, and has more ammo, IJN can run out faster. Reasons IJN is having some trouble at low tiers with strafe removed and USN fighters.

 

The only draw back is that as inept as IJN can be at air control without strafing, USN is at attacking boats. AA buffs have made life hell for their DB's, that lack as much in accuracy as IJN's save 2 extra bombs help the odds, reasons the line should get it's DB's made more accurate like Kaga or Saipan. Much as people whine about DB's can do nothing, they need torps, get a match where AA isn't an issue you can better stagger strikes and roll in the damage via fires. Other day in a relatively fast match, managed 66k damage that way despite the accuracy issues. If AA were balanced and the DB's that little bit more accurate, it could match the IJN line better, though, may verge on OP unless we address the fighter issue to balance them out more and all before upping it's damage ability.

 

You want to truly own the skies, not worry much about striking ships yeah, IJN has quantity, USN has quality, you want to completely shut down enemy air power, USN AS, and build everything into fighters, anything that increases damage and ammo count s only one skill adds HP. More planes per group, higher % chance per second to kill enemy planes, better chance to survive if enemy ships with AA get in range, there really is no substitute, it's part of why CV sniping started to begin with and why USN lost set ups like 2,1,1 ad 2,2,1 at higher tiers, they could shut down air power AND decimate the other team. That and TB's were supposed to be IJN's thing, not the USN.

[Pizza_plz]

4 hours ago, Swung_Rook said:

I very much enjoy running heavy fighter loadouts and absolutely shutting out opposing aircraft. While striking does have it's moments, air supremacy is far more my speed.

I know this is off-topic, but speaking as an AA kitted (USN) DD main, you are doing God's work. +many to you Rook <0

[Swung_Rook]

Thanks for the advice so far!

[Swung_Rook]

8 hours ago, Pizza_plz said:

I know this is off-topic, but speaking as an AA kitted (USN) DD main, you are doing God's work. +many to you Rook <0

+fistbump