Staring out

[Sasha_Foxxx]

Basic question: Is any one nation better for starting out? I was going to do battleships first as they appear to be the best at getting the basics down.

 

Any thoughts?

[RipNuN2]

I would play many different lines and nations up to tier 5 or 6 and see which ones you like to decide where to go further.

[nina_blain_73]

Welcome to Wows,

german bbs are the most forgiving and probably the best for starting out

of course opinions will vary Personally I started on the USN but back then it was either them or the IJN

good luck

[CrazyHorse_Denver]

BBs do take a lot of punishment so they are more forgiving of newbie mistakes but therein lies the problem of developing bad habits. While a BB can take dozens of solid hits before sinking a DD and many times a CA can only take one or two of those kind of hits before being blown out of the water. The first line I started up was the German cruisers; a line that is known for being glass cannons. Learning how not to get hit is the best lesson you can learn in the game right now so that BBs are probably not the best choice..

Those are my thoughts about it.

Addition: If I were to advise a friend about it I'd go with starting out with Japanese cruisers. Usually good torps and mediocre guns. The lower tiers are basicly big DDs without smoke or speed boosts. the upper tiers are monsters in their own right. If you can manage to do well in them you should have no problem moving on to other nations or ship classes.

[commodore_torakula]

whatever country you opt for, don't forget to try destroyers....their stealthy and fun as hell.......

 

the IJN (Japanese) are best......IJN hardware is the finest.

[TTK_Aegis]

BBs are a great ship type but their long reload times can make getting a handle on aiming a bit of a chore. 

For a brand new player, I'd suggest playing Co-op in some of the earlier cruisers that have a ton of guns and using sequential fire (holding the button down). Watch your shells in flight and adjust your aim to get them to land right. 

Look up how to calculate where you aim based on the shell flight time and the tick marks on the reticle. It's way easier to learn how to do that with fast firing guns. 

Once you know how to aim, move up to BBs and use mostly full salvo attacks (double click) since a BB is more of a shotgun than cruiser is. 

[Kerrec]

Playing battleships early in your career leads to bad habits.  I say this from first hand experience.  I did not see any significant improvements in my game play until I started playing cruisers and being worried about being hit at all.  Learn to stay alive in a cruiser, while still contributing to the win, and you will be a much more lethal BB when you do start playing them.

[pewpewpew42]

I would start with cruisers. They simply teach the most diverse lessons.

[Chaos_EN2]

2 minutes ago, TTK_Aegis said:

BBs are a great ship type but their long reload times can make getting a handle on aiming a bit of a chore. 

For a brand new player, I'd suggest playing Co-op in some of the earlier cruisers that have a ton of guns and using sequential fire (holding the button down). Watch your shells in flight and adjust your aim to get them to land right. 

Look up how to calculate where you aim based on the shell flight time and the tick marks on the reticle. It's way easier to learn how to do that with fast firing guns. 

Once you know how to aim, move up to BBs and use mostly full salvo attacks (double click) since a BB is more of a shotgun than cruiser is. 

 

13 minutes ago, CrazyHorse_Denver said:

BBs do take a lot of punishment so they are more forgiving of newbie mistakes but therein lies the problem of developing bad habits. While a BB can take dozens of solid hits before sinking a DD and many times a CA can only take one or two of those kind of hits before being blown out of the water. The first line I started up was the German cruisers; a line that is known for being glass cannons. Learning how not to get hit is the best lesson you can learn in the game right now so that BBs are probably not the best choice..

Those are my thoughts about it.

 

16 minutes ago, nina_blain_73 said:

Welcome to Wows,

german bbs are the most forgiving and probably the best for starting out

of course opinions will vary Personally I started on the USN but back then it was either them or the IJN

good luck

 

16 minutes ago, RipNuN2 said:

I would play many different lines and nations up to tier 5 or 6 and see which ones you like to decide where to go further.

All the above advice, I would also keep a low tier Cruiser to learn to aim with. Also go to YouTube - look up "How to Aim in World of Warships" you will find a lot of good advice.

And welcome aboard shipmate! 

[Jiggiwatt]

+1 for starting out in cruisers. Keep a BB (German is a good choice) for when you're getting frustrated and need something easier to play, but cruisers will teach you a lot more about the game mechanics. IJN cruisers are a good choice.

[Sasha_Foxxx]

I had not considered that. Thanks for the advice!

[ripello]

You might try French CA's. While most people complain about how squishy they are, I find them extremely versatile and above tier6 they get that speed boost which allows them to kite, hit and run, or relocate when needed.

 

[jrs5121]

yeah just try all off the lines and country's that way you don't get burned out and that way you get a idea of how to counter most ships if you have played them or just know where to shoot  

[Chaos_EN2]

35 minutes ago, Sasha_Foxxx said:

I had not considered that. Thanks for the advice!

Couple more things, do not be in a rush to get to a higher tier and do not "free XP" around a "bad ship". If you can get good with the "bad ships" the good ships will be easy. And do not be in a rush to buy a Premium ship, just because a CC is great in it does not mean you or I will be. 

I found this out the hard way!!

 

[RedSeaBear]

Welcome aboard sailor; May the wind be at your back, your enemies sail straight, the enemy torpedoes miss by a mile and RNG be always in your favor. Remember to watch the mini map, change course and speed and use AP on broadside ships at the water line. Don't get lost or sail alone, don't hug islands to close, don't show your broad side, push with your team, don't hang back in sniper mode and Have fun. Smoke on the water is dangerous, avoid friendly fire and don't feed the trolls. For any thing else use search or just ask.

 

The Sinksalot Fleet salutes you, 
See you top side.
 
P.s. the Youtube channels of iChase, Notser, Flamu and even the Mighty Jingles has really good content for WoWs. The more you learn the better a captain you will become and the less you will be surprised. Also reading Patch notes is useful.

[kerensky914]

2 minutes ago, RedSeaBear said:

Smoke on the Water is dangerous...

As is Fire in the Sky.

[RedSeaBear]

1 minute ago, kerensky914 said:

As is Fire in the Sky.

If you can see a skunks face and its butt you're in for a bad time. 

[vonKaiser]

All the advice in here put's it better then I could.  My Major piece of advice simply from doing it myself, don't feel the need to rush up the Tiers.  Just because you can buy that shiny Tier 4 and Tier 5 doesn't mean you should.  You're going to want to stick with the beginning tiers for a little bit, get the hang of the ship, figure out some of it's tricks and mainly, just learn the basics.  Angling, aiming, when to fire HE, when to fire AP, when to be dodging even though you don't see torpedo's in the water etc. 

Rush up the lines too fast and you'll find yourself in tier 7 against formidable opponents who will punish mistakes so fast that you won't even have the time to figure out what you did wrong.

[Chaos_EN2]

2 minutes ago, vonKaiser said:

All the advice in here put's it better then I could.  My Major piece of advice simply from doing it myself, don't feel the need to rush up the Tiers.  Just because you can buy that shiny Tier 4 and Tier 5 doesn't mean you should.  You're going to want to stick with the beginning tiers for a little bit, get the hang of the ship, figure out some of it's tricks and mainly, just learn the basics.  Angling, aiming, when to fire HE, when to fire AP, when to be dodging even though you don't see torpedo's in the water etc. 

Rush up the lines too fast and you'll find yourself in tier 7 against formidable opponents who will punish mistakes so fast that you won't even have the time to figure out what you did wrong.

Amen to this.

[ChisanaJun]

1 hour ago, Sasha_Foxxx said:

Basic question: Is any one nation better for starting out? I was going to do battleships first as they appear to be the best at getting the basics down.

 

Any thoughts?

Mz.Foxxx, Nice to speak to you. These comments by the wonderful gentlemen are all meant to help you with a choice. They have many battles of experience. Take their advice you will not be sorry. This is a wonderful game and community. Forums are fun and helpful. They treat us, women, very well here. Plese, post any concerns or questions the advice you get will help you make wise decisions. 

[RivertheRoyal]

As has already been stated, try cruisers.

They're less survivable than battleships, and you do have to take extra care when sailing in a cruiser. However, they're great for cementing the basics of gameplay early on, with things like aim, ammo selection, torpedoes (on the ones that have them. IJN line does, which is one of the reasons that they're so highly recommended), positioning, and strategy. Cruisers truly are the jack of all trades class, able to do any job to a degree. They are also employ one of the most flexible play-styles in the game, allowing for any amount of experimentation with them. 

I started out going down the Japanese cruiser line, and am very glad I did. It ended up helping me immensely, and I'd recommend it to anyone else starting out. 

But also don't be afraid to branch out and try new things. A good end goal is to play all classes equally well, since you'll have a very deep understanding of the game and how it works like that. But start with cruisers. They're a great teaching tool. 

 

Anyway, good luck. If you need any help for whatever reason, feel free to ask.     

[Sasha_Foxxx]

16 minutes ago, Maggie_Saito said:

Mz.Foxxx, Nice to speak to you. These comments by the wonderful gentlemen are all meant to help you with a choice. They have many battles of experience. Take their advice you will not be sorry. This is a wonderful game and community. Forums are fun and helpful. They treat us, women, very well here. Plese, post any concerns or questions the advice you get will help you make wise decisions. 

Thank you. Good to see a community that isn't toxic. 

[MrDeaf]

Ease of shooting things up: Royal Navy BBs

Forgiving of bad armor angling and positioning: German BBs

Getting to know torpedoes: IJN DDs

2 minutes ago, Sasha_Foxxx said:

Thank you. Good to see a community that isn't toxic. 

WoWs Forums is generally more friendly, but trust me, there are quite toxic players in the game

[ChisanaJun]

Really nice people here, some jokers but they love their game and tolerate us women, odd they mostly have female avatars though. You will enjoy them Mz. Foxxx I keep the forum up on my computer most of the time just to see the silliness. and helpful people chat.

[Sasha_Foxxx]

Sweet!

Every game will have its rules lawyers and toxic nitwits. It is just nice not be assaulted by them at the start! lol